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BackgroundCannabis use disorder (CUD) has been linked to personality disorders (PDs) and interpersonal problems, though these relationships have been understudied. We examined PDs and social support associated with cannabis dependence and how it may be distinguishable from alcohol dependence on these indices in a large representative sample.MethodData on social support and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV substance dependence and PDs were assessed in Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (N > 34,500).ResultsCannabis dependence was associated with higher rates of personality disorders and lower social support. Lifetime cannabis dependence without alcohol dependence was associated with higher rates of all PDs than alcohol dependence without cannabis dependence (with the exception of borderline PD). Cannabis dependence alone was also associated with lower social support than alcohol dependence alone.LimitationsThe survey was conducted in 2004-2005 and relied on DSM-IV criteria.ConclusionsThese findings highlight a broad range of PDs as well as deficits in social support in cannabis dependence. The potential interrelationships between interpersonal dysfunction and CUD as well as the relevance of PDs to treatment for CUD warrant further research.

We analyze smoking risk beliefs and smoking behavior using individual data from 1997 for the United States and 1998 for Massachusetts. Smokers and adults more generally overestimate the lung cancer risks of smoking and the mortality risks and life expectancy loss. Higher risk beliefs decrease the probability of starting to smoke and increase the probability of quitting among those who begin. Better educated smokers have lower and more accurate risk beliefs, but education decreases the probability of smoking. Higher state cigarette taxes correlate with risk beliefs but not with smoking status. The uninsured are especially likely to remain current smokers. (JEL I12, I18, D80), I. INTRODUCTION More people die from smoking each year than from any other consumption activity. These risks arise from consumer choices in a market context. As a result, whether consumers [...]

Background and Objectives: Previous research has shown that alcohol craving is associated with psychiatric comorbidities. However, no population studies have examined the odds of psychiatric disorders in cravers and noncravers. The purpose of this study was to investigate current prevalence rates and odds ratios of psychiatric disorders among alcohol drinkers with and without alcohol craving in a population‐based sample. We also compared four craving groups (cravers with and without alcohol use disorder [AUD], noncravers with and without AUD) for psychiatric comorbidities. Methods: The study data were drawn from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). A subset of the NESARC sample (N = 22 000) who reported alcohol use during the past 12 months was included. Prevalence rates of psychiatric disorders were compared among current drinkers with alcohol craving (N = 900) and without alcohol craving (N = 21 500). Results: Cravers had higher prevalence rates of current psychiatric disorders than noncravers. Even after adjustment for other psychiatric disorders including AUD, cravers had significantly higher odds of any substance use disorder (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 9.01), any mood disorder (AOR, 1.78), any anxiety disorder (AOR, 1.86), and any personality disorder (AOR, 1.92) than noncravers. Interestingly, cravers without AUD had even higher rates of any anxiety disorder and any personality disorder than noncravers with AUD. Conclusions and Scientific Significance: Alcohol craving is associated with a higher prevalence of various psychiatric disorders. These findings suggest that alcohol craving may be related to transdiagnostic features that are present across various psychiatric disorders. (Am J Addict 2021;30:34–42) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2003, New York City (NYC) implemented a series of coordinated policies designed to reduce non-communicable disease.Methods: We used coarsened exact matching (CEM) of individuals living inside and outside NYC between the years of 1992-2000 and 2002-10 to estimate difference-in-difference survival time models, a quasi-experimental approach. We also fitted age-period-cohort (APC) models to explore mortality impacts by gender, race, age, borough and cause of death over this same time period.Results: Both CEM and APC models show that survival gains were large in the pre-2003 era of health policy reform relative to the rest of the USA, but small afterwards. There is no clear link between any policy and changes in mortality by age, gender, ethnicity, borough, or cause of death.Conclusions: NYC's gains in survival relative to the rest of the nation were not linked to the city's innovative and coordinated health policy efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]