One-fifth of cannabis users have dependency or problematic use: research

Around one-fifth of cannabis users have a dependency or problematic use, according to a new study. 

The study, published Tuesday in the JAMA Network Open medical journal, surveyed primary care patients who are legal cannabis users in Washington state. It found 21 percent of participants have cannabis use disorder (CUD), while 6 percent have moderate to severe CUD. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, signs of CUD include trying but failing to quit marijuana use, using more marijuana than intended or for long periods and continuing marijuana use despite problems at home, school or work.

Patients who use cannabis for any nonmedicated use were at a greater risk of moderate to severe CUD, according to the study. It found 7.2 percent of nonmedical cannabis users had CUD, compared to 1.3 percent of medical-use-only patients, who were mostly older. Participants who reported using cannabis for both medical and nonmedical reasons had the highest risk of moderate to severe CUD with 7.5 percent. 

Compared with medical-use-only patients, participants who used the drug for any nonmedical use were also more likely to report withdrawal, use in hazardous situations, continued use despite consequences, and interference with obligations and activities they gave up. 

“The finding that CUD was common among primary care patients in a state with legal recreational use, where more than 20 percent of the population reports cannabis use, underscores the importance of assessing patient cannabis use in clinical settings,” the study’s authors wrote.

Washington was one of the first states to legalize recreational use of marijuana in 2012, alongside Colorado.

The study was conducted at an integrated health system in Washington and surveyed 5,000 of 108,960 adult patients who completed routine cannabis screening from March 2019 to September 2019. Among 1688 respondents, the 1463 participants who reported cannabis use in the past 30 days were included in the study.