TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2009//
TI  - Drawing the line on risky use of cannabis: assessing problematic use with the ASSIST
JO  - Addiction research and theory
A1  - Davis, Christopher G.
A1  - Thomas, Gerald
A1  - Jesseman, Rebecca
A1  - Mazan, Ryan
SP  - 322
EP  - 332
VL  - 17
IS  - 3
N2  - Health and social harms from cannabis use typically are assessed by comparing those who use to those who do not use. Recognizing that not all use of cannabis is necessarily problematic, we examine rates of self-reported harms as a function of frequency of use. Second, we assess the effectiveness of the cannabis portion of the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) as a screening tool for identifying problematic cannabis users. Data come from the Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS; N = 13,909) and the 2006 NWT Addictions Survey (2006 NWTAS; N = 1235). <br><br>RESULTS from both surveys indicate that harms are most likely among weekly and daily users. Although frequent users are at increased risk of harms, greater balance of sensitivity with specificity is obtained with the ASSIST screening tool using a somewhat higher threshold than what is suggested in clinical applications of the instrument. Implications for this higher threshold for public policy are discussed.   Keywords: Cannabis impaired driving<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1606-6359
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16066350802334587
ID  - ref1
ER  -