Smoking cannabis IS addictive: New study claims 40% of adolescents show withdrawal symptoms when they give up the drug

Called for more research into whether cannabis should be legalised

Cannabis is widely believed to be nonaddictive - but a new study claims 40 per cent of young users show signs of addiction.

Researchers say adolescents receiving outpatient treatment for substance use disorder reported experiencing symptoms of withdrawal.

Experts say this is considered a clear sign of drug dependence.

The study by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) will be published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine.

'Our results are timely given the changing attitudes and perceptions of risk related to cannabis use in the U.S.,' says John Kelly, PhD, of the Center for Addiction Medicine in the MGH Department of Psychiatry, who led the study.

'As more people are able to obtain and consume cannabis legally for medical and, in some states, recreational use, people are less likely to perceive it as addictive or harmful.

'But research shows that cannabis use can have significant consequences, and we know that among adolescents it is second only to alcohol in rates of misuse.'

Of the 90 cannabis-using participants, 76 (84 percent) met criteria for cannabis dependence - which include increased tolerance and use of cannabis, unsuccessful efforts to reduce or stop using, and persistent use in spite of medical and psychological problems made worse by cannabis.

Withdrawal symptoms were reported by 36 participants (40 percent of the overall group), all of whom also met criteria for dependence.

Teens who exhibited withdrawal symptoms were more likely to experience negative consequences such as trouble at school or on the job, or financial or relationship problems, Kelly's team said.

While the presence of withdrawal symptoms is a strong indicator of cannabis dependence, the authors say, it did not significantly impact the ability of participants to reduce their use of cannabis during the 12-month follow-up period.

The factor that did appear to make a difference was whether or not an individual recognized having a problem with substance use upon entering the study.

Participants who both reported withdrawal symptoms and recognized having a problem had a small but steady improvement in abstinence through the entire study period.

Those who reported withdrawal symptoms but did not recognize a substance use problem had a slight increase in abstinence in the first 3 months, but then had some increase in cannabis use during the subsequent 9 months, a pattern that was also seen in participants not experiencing withdrawal.

'We hypothesize that participants who experience withdrawal symptoms but do not recognize having a substance use problem may not attribute those symptoms to cannabis withdrawal,' said Claire Greene,a co-author of the report.

'Those who do acknowledge a substance-use problem may correctly attribute those symptoms to cannabis withdrawal, giving them even more motivation to change their substance use behavior.'

She called for further research.

'Unfortunately, the general trend in attitudes in the U.S. is to minimize the risks and not recognize the addictiveness of cannabis.'

'Further research is needed determine the impact of these changing public attitudes and investigate the benefits of programs that reduce these misconceptions, which could allow us to predict whether increased education and awareness could help reduce the onset of, and harm caused by, cannabis use disorders.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2742849/Smoking-cannabis-IS-addictive-New-study-claims-40-adolescents-withdrawal-symptoms-drug.html 04/09/2014