Newswise — Considered the most commonly consumed illicit drug, marijuana has been smoked at least once by more than 100 million Americans over age 12, with millions of people reported as actively smoking marijuana, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. However, many people attempt to reduce or stop using marijuana, and researchers at the University of Vermont are trying to determine why marijuana users try to change and what strategies they use in the process.
The main chemical responsible for marijuana’s effects – THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) – acts on cannabinoid receptors in the brain. The activation of regions responsible for pleasure, memory, concentration, memory and time perception produce the drug’s “high.” THC can also cause short-term effects, such as problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, loss of coordination, increased heart rate, and anxiety.
Lead investigator John Hughes, M.D., professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Vermont, who has examined reduction and abstinence in a smaller group of non-treatment-seeking marijuana users with his colleagues, says participants do not need to change marijuana use while in this study. Instead, research subjects simply report on their marijuana use over a three-month period via daily phone calls, plus 3 questionnaires completed through the mail, or online. Participants make short daily phone calls to an automated telephone survey and use the phone keypad to answer questions from a voice recording about their marijuana use and other events that took place during the previous day. Participants have the option to choose to receive automated reminder calls. “Many marijuana users stop smoking marijuana as they get older,” says Hughes. “We are trying to find out why they stop; for example, is it because they think marijuana makes them less productive, is it pressure from others, or fear of being caught?”
This study, which is supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health, does not provide treatment. For more information and details regarding participant compensation, visit http://www.uvm.edu/hbpl/dailycallin/ or contact Jim Fingar, M.D., at the University of Vermont at 866-814-5747 or [email protected].
RSS