CNN
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The development of cannabis use disorders is relatively common in Washington, one of the first states to fully legalize cannabis, and can also occur in people who use only medical cannabis, according to new research. have a nature.
“There is a perception that people who use marijuana for medical reasons have a lower risk of cannabis use disorders,” says lead author Gwen Lapham, assistant professor at Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in Seattle. says.
Cannabis use disorder (CUD) includes craving cannabis, developing tolerance, using more than intended, using marijuana despite it causing problems in life, and using in high-risk situations, according to: Withdrawal and can’t quit US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The main message from our study is that cannabis use disorders are common among primary care patients in states where cannabis use is legal,” said an associate researcher at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Institute for Health. said one Lapam.
Additionally, studies have found that the use of both medical and recreational cannabis leads to more severe addiction than the use of medical cannabis alone.
“This study reports some much-needed and unique data on cannabis use in the post-legalization period, specifically focusing on the extent and nature of the problem with respect to cannabis use in the general population. What it looks like,” said Nicholas Bozolis, an assistant professor and clinical researcher. Department of Respiratory Medicine, University of Toronto. He was not involved in the research.
“Not everyone wants or remembers to report their cannabis use…so this study likely underestimates the prevalence of cannabis use disorders,” he added. Ta.
The study, published Tuesday in the JAMA Network Open, asked about 110,000 patients in the Kaiser Permanente Integrative Medicine System in Washington state about their attitudes toward marijuana, and then asked 5,000 of them about their cannabis use over the past year. Asked sensitive questions about usage. Only 1,500 people who had reported cannabis use in the previous 30 days were included in the study.
Dr. Alexandre Dumet, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal, who was not involved in the study, said one of the key findings was how often people used marijuana.
“The authors found that 38.8% of medical cannabis users, 25.2% of nonmedical cannabis users, and 56.1% of mixed medical and nonmedical cannabis users ingested the substance on a daily or near-daily basis. It shows that we are doing it,” Dumet said in an email. His 39.7% of mixed users consume more than 3 times a day. ”
Frequent use is an important risk factor for developing cannabis use disorders, so the rising prevalence of such conditions is “not surprising,” Dumet said.
“In particular, those who reported non-medical use were at highest risk for moderate-to-severe CUD. …This is an interesting aspect of the study, as not many authors assessed prevalence according to CUD severity. is,” he said.
There are currently no FDA-approved treatments for cannabis use disorders, so behavior-based treatment or specialized addiction centers are common, Lapam said. However, untreated can have consequences.
“Among other things, research points to an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders, cognitive impairment, access to psychiatric services, and hospitalization, in addition to violent behavior towards oneself and others,” Dumet added. Ta.
It’s not just Washington State. The results of the new study echo findings from other countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and France.a 2020 meta-analysis In these countries and the United States, 22% of cannabis users were found to develop a cannabis disorder during their lifetime, with the risk rising to 33% among adolescents who used cannabis weekly or daily.a 2021 Survey Cannabis use disorders were found to have risen from 17.7% before legalization of marijuana in Canada to 24.3% after legalization.
“As cannabis becomes more and more legal and available, it’s important to be aware of the potential harm so that people can make informed decisions about its use,” said a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Co-Director Dr Beth Cohen said. UCSF’s residency research methods and epidemiology program. She was not involved in the research.
“Many people can use cannabis without becoming addicted, but the CUD rates seen in this and other studies require a better understanding of who is most at risk of CUD. It highlights the need for increased education of the public and health care providers about what it is and how to identify it and treat it. ”