People who are dependent on cannabis place themselves at an increased risk of experiencing adverse psychological consequences attributable to cannabis use, warns a new study.
New research published online this month in the journal Advances in Preventive Medicine found that Canadians with a history of cannabis dependence are much less likely to be in excellent mental health and much more likely to have some form of mental illness or substance dependence compared to those who have never been dependent on cannabis.
The study compared 336 Canadians with a history of cannabis dependence to 20,441 who had never been addicted to the substance. The data were drawn from Statistics Canada's 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health.
More than a quarter (28 percent) of those with a history of cannabis dependence were still dependent on cannabis, while almost one-half (47 percent) had some form of mental illness or substance dependence, compared to only 8percent among those without a history of cannabis dependence.
Social support was strongly associated with remission from cannabis attendance and achieving excellent mental health.
Overall, 74 percent of those without a history of dependence were in excellent mental health, while only 43percent of those with a history of dependence were.
"Our findings illustrate that for many adults, a history of cannabis dependence casts a very long shadow, with a wide range of associated negative mental health outcomes" said lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, professor at the University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) and Director of the Institute for Life Course and Aging.
More than 1 percent of Canadians have been dependent on cannabis at some point in their lives. Since legalisation of recreational cannabis in Canada on 17 October 2018, the use of marijuana may have gone up.
Previous studies say that about one-third of population who use cannabis will develop a problem with their use. It's also estimated that 9 percent of those who smoke cannabis will develop an addiction to it. The risk could rise up to 50 percent If a person uses cannabis daily. The rate of cannabis use is three times more among youth than adults in Canada.
"With more users and subsequently more people who are cannabis dependent, there will be very serious long-term mental health repercussions that individuals, families and the health care systems must address," warned Fuller-Thomson.
