Marijuana use

Alcohol and marijuana are the two most abused substances in US colleges. However, research on the combined influence (cross sectional or longitudinal) of these substances on academic performance is currently scant. Data were derived from the longitudinal 2-year Brain and Alcohol Research in College Students (BARCS) study including 1142 freshman students who completed monthly marijuana use and alcohol consumption surveys. Subjects were classified into data-driven groups based on their alcohol and marijuana consumption. A linear mixed-model (LMM) was employed using this grouping factor to predict grade point average (GPA), adjusted for a variety of socio-demographic and clinical factors. Three data-driven clusters emerged: 1) No/low users of both, 2) medium-high alcohol/no-low marijuana, and 3) medium-high users of both substances. Individual cluster derivations between consecutive semesters remained stable. No significant interaction between clusters and semester (time) was noted. Po...

Objectives-To evaluate the differences in the composition and quantities of the urine peptides in regular cannabis users and non-users by LC-MS/MS analysis. Materials and Methods-Urine specimens from healthy control subjects and cannabis users were utilized to identify the differences in number and quantity of urine proteins LC-MS/MS analysis. Significantly altered proteins were determined by a permutation testing statistical method. Heat map, dendrogram, pathways and network analyses were performed to assess the degree of expression and potential relationships between proteins in both groups. Results-1337 proteins were detected in both groups with 19 proteins being significantly altered in cannabis users. Innate immunity and carbohydrate metabolic pathways were highly linked with up-regulated proteins in cannabis group. Additionally, 91 proteins were present and 46 proteins were absent only in cannabis users in comparison to the control cohort. Our results suggest that regular use of cannabis is associated with significant alterations in a number of urinary peptides, with a large number of proteins present or absent only in cannabis users. Pathway analyses demonstrated an increased immune responses in cannabis users compared to controls.

Background Changes in substance use patterns stemming from opioid misuse, ongoing drinking problems, and marijuana legalization may result in new populations of patients with substance use disorders (SUDs) using emergency department (ED) resources. This study examined ED admission trends in a large sample of patients with alcohol, marijuana, and opioid use disorders in an integrated health system. Methods In a retrospective design, electronic health record (EHR) data identified patients with ≥1 of 3 common SUDs in 2010 ( n = 17,574; alcohol, marijuana, or opioid use disorder) and patients without SUD ( n = 17,574). Logistic regressions determined odds of ED use between patients with SUD versus controls (2010–2014); mixed-effect models examined 5-year differences in utilization; moderator models identified subsamples for which patients with SUD may have a greater impact on ED resources. Results Odds of ED use were higher at each time point (2010–2014) for patients with alcohol (odds ...

Background-Some types of sexually transmitted infection (STI) have higher prevalence in females than males, and among black, relative to white, females. Identifying mechanisms of STI risk is critical to effective intervention. We tested a model in which alcohol and marijuana use serve as mediating factors in the associations between depression and conduct problems with sexual risk behavior (SRB) and STI in adolescent females. Study is a longitudinal observational study of females who have been followed annually to track the course of mental and physical health conditions. The three oldest cohorts (n=1750; 56.8% black; 43.2% white) provided self-reports of substance use, depression and conduct problems, SRB, and STI at ages 16-18. A path model tested alcohol and marijuana use at age 17 as mechanisms that mediate the associations of depression and conduct problems at age 16 with SRB and STI at age 18. Results-Race was involved in two risk pathways. In one pathway, white females reported greater alcohol use, which was associated with greater SRB. In another pathway, black females reported earlier sexual onset, which was associated with subsequent SRB.

The scheduling of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) has established legal precedents that determine how scientific evidence affects its regulation in the United States. This background challenges three common fallacies that make it seem marijuana prohibition is the only viable policy outcome. A contemporary effort to reschedule cannabis is based on recent findings that have established that marijuana lacks the high potential for abuse required for Schedule I or Schedule II status under the CSA. The primary policy issue is not, then, whether marijuana is the best medicine but instead whether people who use it medically should be treated as criminals.

Abundant cross-sectional evidence links eveningness (a preference for later sleep-wake timing) and increased alcohol and drug use among adolescents and young adults. However, longitudinal studies are needed to examine whether eveningness is a risk factor for subsequent alcohol and drug use, particularly during adolescence, which is marked by parallel peaks in eveningness and risk for the onset of alcohol use disorders. The present study examined whether eveningness and other sleep characteristics were associated with concurrent or subsequent substance involvement in a longitudinal study of adolescents. Participants were 729 adolescents (368 females; age 12-21 years) in the National Consortium on Adolescent Neurodevelopment and Alcohol [NCANDA] study. Associations between the sleep variables (circadian preference, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, sleep timing, and sleep duration) and three categorical substance variables (at-risk alcohol use, alcohol bingeing, and past year marijua...

Nearly half of marijuana users in the United States also smoke cigarillos, with many using the products as marijuana "blunts." The relationship between marijuana legalization and tobacco retail has not yet been examined. This study uses tobacco sales data to compare the cigarillo marketplace in states with legalized recreational marijuana to the overall U.S. marketplace in 2016. Cigarillo sales data from 2016 were obtained from the Nielsen Research Company in the following market regions: Denver, CO; Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; and the overall U.S. Descriptive statistics highlighted differences in the market share of various product features (e.g., flavors, brand, pack size) across regions. Characteristics such as fruit flavors, single sticks, and 2-3 packs were more popular in legal marijuana regions compared to the overall U.S. Black & Mild, a brand not traditionally used for blunts, was the top brand nationally (32.8% market share), but Swisher was the top brand in legal...

BACKGROUND: Marijuana is currently legal for recreational use in 10 states and Washington DC while a total of 34 states have implemented varying degrees of medical marijuana. The commercialization of marijuana has been accompanied by a proliferation of false claims regarding the therapeutic potential of marijuana, which are popularized by several different information sources. To date, no study has examined where US adults get their information regarding marijuana. OBJECTIVE: To determine the sources of information associated with believing unsupported claims about marijuana. DESIGN: Probability-based online survey PARTICIPANTS: 16,820 adults, with a response rate of about 55% (N = 9003) MAIN MEASURES: Most influential sources of information about marijuana and belief of statements consistent with misinformation, for example, smoking marijuana has preventative health benefits, secondhand marijuana smoke or use during pregnancy is completely or somewhat safe, and marijuana is not at all addictive. KEY RESULTS: There were 9003 respondents (response rate 55%). Forty-three percent believed unsupported claims about marijuana. The most influential sources of information were health professionals, traditional media, friends/relatives, and social media/internet. Individuals reporting social media or the Internet (1.46 CI [1.30, 1.64]), the marijuana industry (e.g., advertisements, dispensaries) (2.88 CI [2.15, 3.88]), and friends or relatives (1.41 CI[1.26, 1.58]) as the most influential source of information about marijuana were more likely to believe any statement consistent with misinformation about marijuana in comparison with those who reported other sources as most influential. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals reporting the most significant source of information regarding marijuana was from social media or the Internet, the marijuana industry, or friends or relatives were more likely to believe unsupported claims about marijuana. Public health campaigns to counter the misinformation about marijuana to the public are needed.

To describe open source legal datasets, created for research use, that capture the key provisions of U.S. state medical marijuana laws. The data document how state lawmakers have regulated a medicine that remains, under federal law, a Schedule I illegal drug with no legitimate medical use. 2) To demonstrate the variability that exists across states in rules governing patient access, product safety, and dispensary practice. Methods-Two legal researchers collected and coded state laws governing marijuana patients, product safety, and dispensaries in effect on February 1, 2017, creating three empirical legal datasets. We used summary tables to identify the variation in specific statutory provisions specified in each state's medical marijuana law as it existed on February 1, 2017. We compared aspects of these laws to the traditional Federal approach to regulating medicine. Full datasets, codebooks and protocols are available through the Prescription Drug Abuse Policy System (; ). Results-Twenty-eight states (including the District of Columbia) have authorized medical marijuana. Twenty-seven specify qualifying diseases, which differ across states. All states protect patient privacy; only 14 protect patients against discrimination. Eighteen states have mandatory product safety testing before any sale. While the majority have package/label regulations, states have a wide range of specific requirements. Most regulate dispensaries, with considerable variation in specific provisions such as permitted product supply sources, number of dispensaries per state and restricting proximity to various types of location. Conclusions-The federal ban in the USA on marijuana has resulted in a patchwork of regulatory strategies that are not uniformly consistent with the approach usually taken by the Federal government and whose effectiveness remains unknown.

Aims(1) To describe open source legal data sets, created for research use, that capture the key provisions of US state medical marijuana laws. The data document how state lawmakers have regulated a medicine that remains, under federal law, a Schedule I illegal drug with no legitimate medical use. (2) To demonstrate the variability that exists across states in rules governing patient access, product safety and dispensary practice.MethodsTwo legal researchers collected and coded state laws governing marijuana patients, product safety and dispensaries in effect on 1 February 2017, creating three empirical legal data sets. We used summary tables to identify the variation in specific statutory provisions specified in each state's medical marijuana law as it existed on 1 February 2017. We compared aspects of these laws to the traditional Federal approach to regulating medicine. Full data sets, codebooks and protocols are available through the Prescription Drug Abuse Policy System (htt...

Many college students experience personal consequences from their own substance use as well as secondhand effects resulting from other students' substance use. Our study identifies meaningful subgroup response patterns representing the construct of experienced harms, that is, the combined harms resulting from personal substance use and the substance use of others. In this sample six latent classes of harms experienced by participants were identified. The classes ranged from a No Harms group to a group of eleven harms -Severe Harms. We demonstrated that harms class membership was directly related to the level of involvement with substances. As the level of substance use increaseddemonstrated by membership in latent classes of progressive involvement with substancesthe odds of membership in a more serious experienced harms class increased. Participants reporting early onset of any substance were more likely to be members in any of the experienced harms latent classes than members of the No Harms class. Elucidating the exposure to harm associated with college student substance use behavior through an expanded focus on the patterns of experienced effects (i.e., personal consequences and secondhand effects) advances current research on a nationally-recognized problem.

Many college students experience personal consequences from their own substance use as well as secondhand effects resulting from other students' substance use. Our study identifies meaningful subgroup response patterns representing the construct of experienced harms, that is, the combined harms resulting from personal substance use and the substance use of others. In this sample six latent classes of harms experienced by participants were identified. The classes ranged from a No Harms group to a group of eleven harms -Severe Harms. We demonstrated that harms class membership was directly related to the level of involvement with substances. As the level of substance use increaseddemonstrated by membership in latent classes of progressive involvement with substancesthe odds of membership in a more serious experienced harms class increased. Participants reporting early onset of any substance were more likely to be members in any of the experienced harms latent classes than members of the No Harms class. Elucidating the exposure to harm associated with college student substance use behavior through an expanded focus on the patterns of experienced effects (i.e., personal consequences and secondhand effects) advances current research on a nationally-recognized problem.

The current study investigated the association between secondhand effects and personal consequences with substance use in a sample of rural college students (N = 412; 55.1% women; 92.2% white/non-Hispanic). The study extends the body of secondhand effects research by (a) investigating the association of marijuana use with the experience of secondhand effects; (b) examining the association of onset risk of substance use (< 18 years old) with the experience of secondhand effects; (c) exploring the multiplicity of experienced effects associated with substance use by employing a four-category typology that exhaustively represents exposure to secondhand effects and personal consequences. Bivariate and multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate the data. The majority of students (90.3%) experienced undesirable effects from substance use, with 15% reporting only secondhand effects, 28.5% only personal consequences, and 46.8% reporting both secondhand effects and personal consequences. Residing on-campus, onset risk, and past 30-day alcohol or marijuana use increased risk for experiencing personal consequences and the combination of secondhand effects and personal consequences. Secondhand effects are likely to compound the harm for substance users because they often experience both secondhand effects and personal consequences.

Resiliency theory provides a conceptual framework for studying why some youth exposed to risk factors do not develop the negative behaviors they predict. The purpose of this study was to test compensatory and protective models of resiliency in a longitudinal sample of urban adolescents (80% African American). The data were from Years 1 (9th grade) and 4 (12th grade). The study examined effects of cumulative risk and promotive factors on adolescent polydrug use including alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. Cumulative measures of risk/promotive factors represented individual characteristics, peer influence, and parental/familial influences. After controlling for demographics, results of multiple regression of polydrug use support the compensatory model of resiliency both cross‐sectionally and longitudinally. Promotive factors were also found to have compensatory effects on change in adolescent polydrug use. The protective model of resiliency evidenced cross‐sectionally was not supported i...

Cannabis use is highly prevalent worldwide and it is associated with psychosis, but its effects on brain structure and cognition are still controversial. The aim of this paper is to investigate cognitive functioning and brain structure in patients with their first episode of psychosis who used Cannabis. We examined gray matter and lateral ventricle volumes in 28 patients with first-episode psychosis and a history of Cannabis use, 78 patients without a history of Cannabis use and 80 healthy controls who had not used Cannabis. Cognition was assessed using forward and backwards digit span tests, from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition (WMS-III) and the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT). Patients with a history of Cannabis use had less brain abnormalities, characterized by gray matter and lateral ventricle volume preservation, as well as less attentional and executive impairments compared to patients without a history of Cannabis use. Cannabis-using patients who develop psychosis have less neurodevelopmental impairment and better cognitive reserve than other psychotic patients; perhaps reflecting different etiological processes.

Thesis advisor: Thomas M. CreaThesis advisor: Oscar A. MartinezBackground: Substance use in adolescence is associated with a vast variety of behavioral and health problems contributing to a public health burden including engagement in risky sexual practices, unwanted pregnancies, increased morbidity and mortality, violent behaviors, and school dropout, among others. The use of alcohol and marijuana in adolescence and young adulthood are risk factors for subsequent substance-related adverse effects. Parents play a key role in the prevention of substance use. This study has the aim of analyzing the influence of parenting styles used during childhood and the rearing process on alcohol and marijuana use among adolescents over time through adulthood. Results will provide information to contribute to “Ensure healthy development for all youth” which is one of the 12 Social Work Grand Challenges introduced by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare in January (2015). Accordin...

Nearly half of marijuana users in the United States also smoke cigarillos, with many using the products as marijuana &quot;blunts.&quot; The relationship between marijuana legalization and tobacco retail has not yet been examined. This study uses tobacco sales data to compare the cigarillo marketplace in states with legalized recreational marijuana to the overall U.S. marketplace in 2016. Cigarillo sales data from 2016 were obtained from the Nielsen Research Company in the following market regions: Denver, CO; Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; and the overall U.S. Descriptive statistics highlighted differences in the market share of various product features (e.g., flavors, brand, pack size) across regions. Characteristics such as fruit flavors, single sticks, and 2-3 packs were more popular in legal marijuana regions compared to the overall U.S. Black & Mild, a brand not traditionally used for blunts, was the top brand nationally (32.8% market share), but Swisher was the top brand in legal...

Aims-To (1) assess trends and variation in the market share of product types and potency sold in a legal cannabis retail market, and (2) estimate how potency and purchase quantity influence price variation for cannabis flower. Design-Secondary analysis of publicly available data from Washington State's cannabis traceability system spanning July 7, 2014 to September 30, 2016. Descriptive statistics and linear regressions assessed variation and trends in cannabis product variety and potency. Hedonic regressions estimated how purchase quantity and potency influence cannabis flower price variation. Setting-Washington State, USA. Participants-(1) 44,482,176 million cannabis purchases, including (2) 31,052,123 cannabis flower purchases after trimming price and quantity outliers. Measurements-Primary outcome measures were (1) monthly expenditures on cannabis, total delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration, and cannabidiol (CBD) concentration by product type; and (2) excise-tax-inclusive price per gram of cannabis flower. Key covariates for the hedonic price regressions included quantity purchased, THC, and CBD. Findings-Traditional cannabis flowers still account for the majority of spending (66.6%), but the market share of extracts for inhalation increased by 145.8% between October 2014 and September 2016, now composing 21.2% of sales. The average THC-level for cannabis extracts is more than triple that for cannabis flowers (68.7% compared to 20.6%). For flower products, there is a statistically significant relationship between price per gram and both THC [coefficient = 0.

Drug addiction is a societal disease that is pervasive in modern culture and affects all societies worldwide. This research aims to explore the causes of drug addiction as well as how it affects the user's family life, societal influence, and general health. The secondary data used in this study's research was collected globally from a variety of published sources. Additionally, studies demonstrate that drug addiction has detrimental impacts on a user's physical and mental health. Along with job capability, memory is among the badly damaged functions. The condition of drug addiction increases the danger of death for those who suffer from it. Prevention of drug addiction has already become a major challenge for almost every nation. The study's most important result is that it will greatly contribute to Bangladesh's efforts to reduce drug addiction. It will increase knowledge about the consequences of drug addiction among adolescents who use drugs and the parents of those adolescents. By conducting additional research on the impacts of drug addiction, this study creates an additional opportunity for academics to donate their expertise and life experience to the cause of ending drug addiction.

With recreational marijuana having recently been legalized in a growing number of U.S. states, as well as the increasing support for its legalization among substantial segments of the American public, an understanding of the development of symptoms associated with marijuana use disorders will assist in guiding both education and policy. This study examined the prevalence of marijuana use disorder symptoms among a nationally representative sample of recent onset marijuana users ages 12-21 drawn from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (N=9697). The most frequently reported marijuana use symptoms were &quot;tolerance&quot;, and &quot;time occupied acquiring, using or recovering from the effects of marijuana&quot;. Logistic regression analyses indicated an expected positive association between marijuana use frequency and each marijuana use disorder symptom. In many cases the positive trend was quadratic or cubic, with greater increases between rates among low and moderate freque...

Background and aimsAlcohol and marijuana are widely used among college students. Emotion regulation strategies have been linked to alcohol and marijuana use, but little attention has been devoted to modeling the directionality of these associations. The aims of the current study were to test whether (a) daytime use of emotion regulation strategies influences the likelihood of evening substance use and (b) evening substance use influences the likelihood of next‐day use of emotion regulation strategies.DesignLongitudinal daily diary data were collected for 30 days via on‐line surveys.SettingNortheastern United States.ParticipantsA total of 1640 college students (mean age = 19.2 years, 54% female, 80% European American) were recruited each semester between Spring 2008 and Spring 2012.MeasurementsDaily diaries assessed emotion regulation strategies (distraction, reappraisal, problem‐solving, avoidance) and substance use (any drinking, heavy drinking, marijuana use, co‐use of any drinkin...

Background: Depression is one of the most consistent risk factors implicated in both the course of escalating substance use behaviors and in the development of substance dependence symptoms, including those associated with marijuana use. In the present study, we evaluate if depression is associated with marijuana use disorder symptoms across the continuum of marijuana use frequency. Methods: Data were drawn from six annual surveys of the National Survey of Drug Use and Health to include adults who reported using marijuana at least once in the past 30 days (N= 28,557). Results: After statistical control for sociodemographic characteristics and substance use behaviors including marijuana use, alcohol use, smoking, and use of illicit substances other than marijuana, depression was positively and significantly associated with each of the marijuana use disorder symptoms as well as the symptom total score. Adult marijuana users with depression were consistently more likely to experience marijuana use disorder symptoms and a larger number of symptoms, with the magnitude and direction of the relationship generally consistent across all levels of marijuana use frequency from 1 day used in the past month to daily marijuana use. Conclusions: Depression is a consistent risk factor for marijuana use disorder symptoms over and above exposure to marijuana suggesting that depressed individuals may represent an important subgroup in need of targeted substance use intervention.

Depression is one of the most consistent risk factors implicated in both the course of escalating substance use behaviors and in the development of substance dependence symptoms, including those associated with marijuana use. In the present study, we evaluate if depression is associated with marijuana use disorder symptoms across the continuum of marijuana use frequency. Data were drawn from six annual surveys of the National Survey of Drug Use and Health to include adults who reported using marijuana at least once in the past 30days (N=28,557). After statistical control for sociodemographic characteristics and substance use behaviors including marijuana use, alcohol use, smoking, and use of illicit substances other than marijuana, depression was positively and significantly associated with each of the marijuana use disorder symptoms as well as the symptom total score. Adult marijuana users with depression were consistently more likely to experience marijuana use disorder symptoms a...