Adolescents are more susceptible to cannabis use disorder and its adverse effects compared to adults, according to new research. Researchers from the University of Bath, King’s College London, and University College London studied 70 adults and 76 adolescents over a three-month period, all of whom frequently used cannabis.
The study found that even when adolescents and adults use cannabis at similar rates, teenagers are much more likely to develop cannabis use disorder. This includes issues like not being able to quit, cannabis interfering with their daily lives, and worsening mental health. Seventy percent of teens said that cannabis affected their daily responsibilities, while only 20% of adults reported the same.
“We already knew, from earlier research, that adolescents (people up to the age of 25) have higher rates of cannabis use disorder than adults, but until now we didn’t know if this was because younger people were simply using more or stronger cannabis than adults. We now know this isn’t the case,” said study first author Dr. Rachel Lees in a press release.
Experts say that this increased vulnerability in adolescents is due to their brains still developing.
“Also, 80% of the adolescents reported devoting a great deal of time to getting, using or recovering from cannabis use, compared to 50% of the adults,” Lees said. “This is concerning as this group may not be aware of the symptoms of cannabis use disorder and may perceive cannabis to be associated with a low level of risk for harm.”
In an upcoming podcast episode of Grieving Out Loud, hear from Rodney Wambeam, a senior research scientist at the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center, about preventing substance use disorder.
“I’m not all for the legalization of marijuana. One of the reasons is because I don’t think people using marijuana are reaching their goals and their dreams,” Wambeam said.