Search

Background: With a rise in public pressure to increase veteran access to medicinal cannabis, free cannabis collectives for military veterans are proliferating across the US. Objectives: The aim of the current study was to document which cannabis formulations and routes of administration are chosen by veterans with increased access to cannabis, and to determine whether cannabis is being used as a substitute for other licit and illicit drugs. Method: The current study collected cross-sectional self-report data on cannabis use, cannabinoid constituent composition, primary indication of use, and substitution practices among a sample of 93 US military veterans (84.9% male) with access to free cannabis. Result: Most of the sample reported using cannabinoids as a substitute for either alcohol, tobacco, prescription medications, or illicit substances, reported that they use cannabis frequently (Modal frequency >4x/day, Modal quantity = 5 to 8 grams/week), and primarily select higher-risk cannabis formulations (i.e., high THC/low CBD, smoked). The majority of the sample reported that they use cannabis to self-treat multiple physical and mental health conditions/symptoms. Conclusions: Results of the current study suggest that military Veterans with reduced barriers to access cannabis could be making both helpful and harmful choices regarding their cannabis use. These findings suggest that more guidance on the selection of cannabis-based products in this population is warranted, particularly as barriers to medicinal cannabis access are reduced.

Cannabis use is common among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, but its impact on psychiatric symptoms and functioning in this population is unclear. To clarify the clinical and functional correlates of cannabis use in individuals with PTSD symptoms, we analyzed data from the 2019–2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, a nationally representative survey of U.S. military veterans. Participants with current subthreshold or full PTSD (N = 608) reported on their past‐6‐month cannabis use and current psychiatric symptoms, functioning, treatment utilization, and PTSD symptom management strategies. Veterans with subthreshold/full PTSD who used cannabis more than weekly were more likely to screen positive for co‐occurring depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation than those who did not use cannabis, ORs = 3.4–3.8, or used cannabis less than weekly, ORs = 2.7–3.7. Veterans who used cannabis more than weekly also scored lower in cognitive functioning than veterans with no use, d = 0.25, or infrequent use, d = 0.71, and were substantially more likely to endorse avoidance coping strategies, ORs = 8.2–12.2, including substance use, OR = 4.4, and behavioral disengagement, ORs = 2.7–9.1, to manage PTSD symptoms. Despite more psychiatric and functional problems, veterans with frequent cannabis use were not more likely to engage in mental health treatment, ORs = 0.87–0.99. The results suggest enhanced cannabis use screening, interventions targeting risky use, and strategies promoting treatment engagement may help ameliorate more severe clinical presentations associated with frequent cannabis use among veterans with subthreshold/full PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Cannabis Use Disorders Identification Test-Revised (CUDIT-R) is an 8-item measure used to screen for cannabis use disorders (CUD). Despite widespread use of the tool, assessments of the CUDIT-R's validity in subpopulations are limited.Objectives: The current study tested the structural validity and internal consistency of one of the most widely used screening measures for CUD (i.e., CUDIT-R) among a sample of military veterans who use cannabis for medicinal purposes.Methods: The present study used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the internal consistency and validity of the single-factor structure of the original screener among a sample of veterans who use cannabis for medicinal purposes (n = 90 [90% male]; Mage = 55.31, SD = 15.37). Measures included demographics and the CUDIT-R, obtained from the baseline assessment of an ongoing longitudinal study.Results: The CFA revealed that the single-factor model previously validated in recreational using samples only accounted for 38.34% of total variance in responses on the CUDIT-R (χ2 = 66.09, df = 28, p < 0.05; RMSEA = 0.06) and demonstrated acceptable but modest internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.73).Conclusion: More psychometric work is needed to determine the reliability and validity of using the CUDIT-R to screen for CUD among military veterans who use medicinal cannabis and other subpopulations of cannabis users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marijuana, the most commonly used illicit drug among college students, remains the most cited reason for entering treatment for substance abuse and dependency (Johnston, L.D., O'Malley, P.M., Bachman, J.G., & Schulenberg, J.E. (2009). Monitoring the future: National survey results on drug use, 1975-2008. Volume II: College students and adults aged 19-50. Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse). Current models now include craving as a potential indicator of drug problems (Goldstein, R.Z., & Volkow, N.D. (2002). Drug addiction and its underlying neurobiological basis: Neuroimaging evidence for the involvement of the frontal cortex. American Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 1642-1652). Memory-expectancy and cue-reactance manipulations are increasingly common in the study of craving. Such manipulations rely on the use of relevant cues to prime thoughts associated with the substance of interest. Nevertheless, manipulations involving marijuana primes remain limited; most only using visual and over-stereotyped cues and are tested using samples that already meet criteria for problematic use. The current experiment tested an olfactory manipulation for priming thoughts of marijuana using a sample of 85 college students that represent an array of past marijuana use. Two 2 × 3 χ2 tests revealed that participants who smelled cannabis reported a higher proportion of primed words associated with marijuana than those who smelled a control scent. Logistic regression revealed that history of cannabis use did not alter the magnitude of this priming effect. Results support the use of this study's novel olfactory cue as an appropriate manipulation for the study of marijuana priming effects within college-aged samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the association between subtypes of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and cannabis use within a sample of 2811 current users. Data were collected in 2012 from a national U.S. survey of cannabis users. A series of logistic regression equations and chi-squares were assessed for proportional differences between users. When asked about the ADHD symptoms they have experienced when not using cannabis, a higher proportion of daily users met symptom criteria for an ADHD diagnoses of the subtypes that include hyperactive-impulsive symptoms than the inattentive subtype. For nondaily users, the proportions of users meeting symptom criteria did not differ by subtype. These results have implications for identifying which individuals with ADHD might be more likely to self-medicate using cannabis. Furthermore, these findings indirectly support research linking relevant cannabinoid receptors to regulatory control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the consequences of the laws made for the prohibition of the illegal use of marijuana and other narcotic drugs. Topics discussed include failure of the efforts made by the U.S. government for the regulation of illegal drug use, failure of the drug policies made for reducing the use of the drug plants and war on drugs for reducing procrastination. It further discusses the therapeutic and medicinal use of marijuana.