The issue of legalizing marijuana has been going on for years now, and scientists at the National Institutes of Health have started to promote public education about the potential dangers related to marijuana use. Their new study suggests that the use of marijuana is harmful linking about six million people who have suffered marijuana use disorder, which is considered a type of drug dependent or abuse.
According to medicaldaily.com, scientists at the NIH said that since many people combine alcohol and marijuana use, more research is also needed to understand the effects of the combined drugs. Marijuana symptoms alone include cravings, having tolerance, and experiencing symptoms of withdrawal that include, inability to sleep, nervousness, anger, or depression, within a week of stopping heavy use.
In DSM-5 which is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, marijuana dependence and abuse are combined into a single disorder. In order to be diagnosed with the disorder, individuals must first meet at two of the 11 symptoms given. The severity of the disorder is rated mild, moderate, or severe depending on the number of symptoms shown by the patient.
"The new analysis complements previous population-level studies by Dr. Grant's group that show that marijuana use can lead to harmful consequences for individuals and society," said George F. Koob, Ph.D., director of NIAAA.
The study led by Bridget Grant, Ph.D., of the NIAAA Laboratory of Epidemiology and Biometry reveals that the percentage of marijuana use among Americans in the past year has doubled compared to the years between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013 where the increase in marijuana use that time was nearly as large.
The new study reviewed the data on marijuana use that were collected in t 2012-2013 where NIAAA launched National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) which is known to be the largest study to ever be conducted on the co-occurrence of alcohol use, drug use, and related psychiatric conditions, nih.gov reported.
The new data showed the same findings as the previous ones suggesting that marijuana use disorder is two times more common in men than women, and younger age groups are most likely to experience the disorder than people over the age of 45. The new study also found that the peak of onset was at a higher risk during adolescence and young adulthood, with remission occurring within 3-4 years. it was also discovered that marijuana use disorders were directly related to other substance use and mental health disorders.
