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Quantifying The Clinical Significance Of Cannabis Withdrawal, David J. Allsop, Jan Copeland, Melissa M. Norberg, Shanlin Fu, Anna Molnar, John Lewis, Alan J. Budney

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background and Aims:

Questions over the clinical significance of cannabis withdrawal have hindered its inclusion as a discrete cannabis induced psychiatric condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV). This study aims to quantify functional impairment to normal daily activities from cannabis withdrawal, and looks at the factors predicting functional impairment. In addition the study tests the influence of functional impairment from cannabis withdrawal on cannabis use during and after an abstinence attempt.

Methods and Results:

A volunteer sample of 49 non-treatment seeking cannabis users who met DSM-IV criteria for dependence provided daily withdrawal-related functional impairment …

Canada's Marihuana Medical Access Regulations: Up In Smoke, Carolynn Conron

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Supreme Court of Canada has interpreted the constitutional principles entrenched in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to mean that everyone in Canada has a constitutional right to access necessary medical treatment without fear of criminal sanction. The latest research suggests cannabis (marihuana) provides a unique medicinal benefit that, for some individuals, is necessary. The federal criminal prohibition of cannabis deprives many individuals of a potentially beneficial medicine and stigmatizes them with a criminal record.

Without a valid medical cannabis access system, the criminal prohibition is invalid. The current Marihuana Medical Access Regulations were recently struck down. Parliament …

Improving The Debate On Cannabis: "The Effects Of Cannabis On Driving Are Difficult To Evaluate", Sarah Levy, Alison L. Jones

Alison L Jones

In their article on the cannabis debate, Strang et al raise the issue of canna­bis and its effects on driving, suggesting that “a clearer understanding will be required of the extent to which a particular concentra­tion of the drug (or its metabolites) can reli­ably be taken as evidence that an individual's driving ability was consequently impaired.” A review of the literature, however, suggests that defining an acceptable level of cannabis consumption for driving is unlikely to be possible for several reasons.

Evaluation Of A Web-Based Intervention For College Marijuana Use, Jennifer Christine Elliott

Psychology - Dissertations

Young adults in college have high rates of marijuana use, abuse, and dependence. Web-based interventions have been growing in popularity, but their dissemination currently exceeds empirical support. One especially popular (but understudied) program is The Marijuana eCHECKUP TO GO (e-TOKE) for Universities & Colleges (San Diego State University Research Foundation, 2009). The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether this program is effective in changing marijuana involvement and perceived norms in undergraduates. Participants were 317 undergraduates (52% female, 78% White) who reported marijuana use within the month preceding baseline. Conditions were the e-TOKE program or assessment only, crossed …

Cannabis Use In Cape York Indigenous Communities: High Prevalence, Mental Health Impacts And The Desire To Quit, India Bohanna, Alan R. Clough

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Anecdotal reports suggest that high rates of cannabis use and dependence are significant issues in Indigenous communities in north Queensland; however, there is little scientific evidence to support or refute this.The Cape York Cannabis Project seeks to investigate cannabis use rates, cannabis dependence and mental health impacts for the first time in three Cape York Indigenous communities.

Reflection Impulsivity In Adolescent Cannabis Users: A Comparison With Alcohol-Using And Non-Substance-Using Adolescents, Nadia Solowij, Katy A. Jones, Megan E. Rozman, Sasha M. Davis, Joseph Ciarrochi, Patrick C. L Heaven, Nicole Pesa, Dan I. Lubman, Murat Yucel

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Rationale Reflection impulsivity-a failure to gather and evaluate information before making a decision-is a critical component of risk-taking and substance use behaviours, which are highly prevalent during adolescence. Objectives and methods The Information Sampling Test was used to assess reflection impulsivity in 175 adolescents (mean age 18.3, range 16.5-20; 55% female)-48 cannabis users (2.3 years use, 10.8 days/month), 65 alcohol users, and 62 non-substance-using controls-recruited from a longitudinal cohort and from the general community and matched for education and IQ. Cannabis and alcohol users were matched on levels of alcohol consumption. Results Cannabis users sampled to the lowest degree of …

The Effects Of Regular Long-Term Cannabis Use On Auditory Mismatch Negativity (Mmn), Lisa-Marie Greenwood, Samantha J. Broyd, Rodney J. Croft, Patricia T. Michie, Juanita Todd, Stuart J. Johnstone, Robyn Murray, Nadia Solowij

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the 3rd Biennial Schizophrenia International Research Conference Florence, Italy 14-18 April 2012

Does Cannabis Cause Lasting Brain Damage?, Nadia Solowij, Murat Yucel, Valentina Lorenzetti, Dan Lubman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Until recently, it was possible to state with some confi - dence that there was no evidence of cannabis-related brain damage in humans. There was some support from the animal literature, but few human studies had been conducted where the findings could not be explained by methodological or other confounding factors. Recent evidence for gross morphological, connectivity and microstructural changes has now emerged that warrants further consideration. If cannabis were found to alter the structural integrity of the brain, then this may assist us to understand the mechanisms by which cannabis triggers psychotic symptoms or overt psychosis in vulnerable individuals.

Genetic Modulation Of The Long-Term Effects Of Cannabis On Brain Structure, Function And Symptomatology, Nadia Solowij, Francesca Fernandez, Robin Murray, Murat Yucel

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Published abstract from the 3rd Biennial Schizophrenia International Research Conference Florence, Italy 14-18 April 2012

Functional Connectivity In Brain Networks Underlying Cognitive Control In Chronic Cannabis Users, Ian H. Harding, Nadia Solowij, Ben J. Harrison, Michael Takagi, Valentina Lorenzetti, Dan I. Lubman, Marc L. Seal, Christos Pantelis, Murat Yucel

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The long-term effect of regular cannabis use on brain function underlying cognitive control remains equivocal. Cognitive control abilities are thought to have a major role in everyday functioning, and their dysfunction has been implicated in the maintenance of maladaptive drug-taking patterns. In this study, the Multi-Source Interference Task was employed alongside functional magnetic resonance imaging and psychophysiological interaction methods to investigate functional interactions between brain regions underlying cognitive control. Current cannabis users with a history of greater than 10 years of daily or near-daily cannabis smoking (n=21) were compared with age, gender, and IQ-matched non-using controls (n=21). No differences in …

Correlates Of Marijuana Use In A Hispanic College Sample, Joseph Ephraim Charter

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Currently there is a dearth of literature regarding marijuana and its correlates of use, particularly in Hispanics. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug, and its use has increased in recent years. This study aimed to assess correlates of marijuana use in a Hispanic college student sample. Data were collected from 549 participants from University psychology courses. Participants completed a comprehensive survey packet consisting of: demographics, marijuana use history, tobacco and alcohol use, depression, anxiety, stress, and acculturation. Descriptive analyses were used to provide a characteristic profile of Hispanic college student marijuana use. Eight percent reported past 30-day marijuana …

The Impact Of Cannabis Use On Cognitive Functioning In Patients With Schizophrenia: A Meta-Analysis Of Existing Findings And New Data In A First-Episode Sample, Murat Yücel, Emre Bora, Daniel I. Lubman, Nadia Solowij, Warrick J. Brewer, Sue M. Cotton, Phillipe Conus, Michael J. Takagi, Alex Fornito, Stephen J. Wood, Patrick D. Mcgorry, Christos Pantelis

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Cannabis use is highly prevalent among people with schizophrenia, and coupled with impaired cognition, is thought to heighten the risk of illness onset. However, while heavy cannabis use has been associated with cognitive deficits in long-term users, studies among patients with schizophrenia have been contradictory. This article consists of 2 studies. In Study I, a meta-analysis of 10 studies comprising 572 patients with established schizophrenia (with and without comorbid cannabis use) was conducted. Patients with a history of cannabis use were found to have superior neuropsychological functioning. This finding was largely driven by studies that included patients with a lifetime …

The Future Of Hemp In Kentucky, Vanessa Rogers

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.