Citation

Caldeira KM, Arria AM, O'Grady KE, Vincent KB, Wish ED. Addict. Behav. 2008; 33(3): 397-411.

Affiliation

University of Maryland College Park, Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR), 4321 Hartwick Road, Suite 501, College Park, MD 20740, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.addbeh.2007.10.001

PMID

18031940

PMCID

PMC2247439

Abstract

This study reports the prevalence of cannabis use disorders (CUD) and other cannabis-related problems in a large cohort (n=1253) of first-year college students, 17 to 20 years old, at one large public university in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. Interviewers assessed past-year cannabis use, other drug use, and cannabis-related problems (including DSM-IV criteria for CUD). The prevalence of CUD was 9.4%(wt) among all first-year students and 24.6% among past-year cannabis users (n=739). Of those endorsing any CUD criteria, 33.8% could be classified as diagnostic orphans. Among 474 "at-risk" cannabis users (>/=5 times in the past year), concentration problems (40.1%), driving while high (18.6%) and missing class (13.9%) were among the most prevalent cannabis-related problems, even among those who endorsed no CUD criteria. Placing oneself at risk for physical injury was also commonly reported (24.3%). A significant proportion of cannabis-using college students meet diagnostic criteria for disorder. Even in the absence of disorder, users appear to be at risk for potentially serious cannabis-related problems. Implications for prevention, service delivery, and future research are discussed.

Language: en