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Troubled Teens Report Serious Problems with Marijuana Dependence
A study of marijuana dependence among adolescents in a university treatment program found that such youth reported serious problems in their lives related to dependence on the drug. Results of the study, which was conducted at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, will appear in the current issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence (Vol. 50, Issue 1).
Conduct disorders and other adverse effects of marijuana dependence reported by a group of 165 male inpatients and 64 female outpatients indicate that marijuana use may be more harmful than previously thought, at least in certain adolescent populations.
"Marijuana use among teenagers is rising, yet the perception of risk from marijuana use is falling," said Tom Crowley, MD, professor of psychiatry, executive director of the Addiction Research and Treatment Services Program at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and lead investigator of the study. The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health.
"Earlier inpatient studies have shown that under laboratory circumstances, marijuana can produce withdrawal symptoms and drive further use," Dr. Crowley said. "The additional question we asked in this study was, 'Does marijuana cause real trouble in the lives of those who use it?' In this population of very troubled kids, we found that it does."
Adolescents in the study had been referred to the program by social services agencies or juvenile justice programs for treatment of substance abuse. Most had conduct disorders or been involved in criminal conduct. They also reported serious problems in their lives, which, in their view, were a result of their use of marijuana. ï Eighty-five percent of these teens said marijuana use interfered with their responsibilities at school, work or home, or endangered them in some way, such as while driving. ï Seventy-seven percent had spent a great deal of time getting, using or getting over the effects of marijuana. ï Sixty-six percent had given up other important activities to get or use marijuana. ï Fifty-three percent had lost control of marijuana use, taking it in larger amounts or for longer periods than they intended. ï Thirty-five percent reported often wanting to cut down on marijuana use, or trying unsuccessfully to do so.
"Adolescents who have conduct disorders, such as serious truancy, physical or sexual assault or torturing animals, also are at serious risk for developing drug dependence," Dr. Crowley added. "For most of the patients in this study, conduct problems actually were present prior to marijuana use."
Among the study subjects, more than 82 percent had conduct disorders and 78 percent met standard adult criteria for marijuana dependence. They also reported that marijuana use progressed from first use to regular use as rapidly as tobacco progression and more rapidly than that of alcohol. More than two-thirds of marijuana-dependent patients complained of withdrawal; more than one-quarter reported using marijuana to relieve withdrawal symptoms.
"This is a very troubled population of teens, and the findings in this group do not necessarily apply to other populations," Dr. Crowley added. "But at the same time, criminal justice data show that more than half of youths charged with crimes test positive for marijuana use. The problems described by our patients may not be rare, and the data suggest that for adolescents with conduct disorders, marijuana use is far from harmless."
The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center is one of four campuses in the University of Colorado system. Located in Denver, Colo., the campus includes schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry, a graduate school and two hospitals. ###