Cannabis Withdrawal Among Detained Adolescents: Exploring the Impact of Nicotine and Race

Abstract

Rates of marijuana use among detained youths are exceptionally high. Research suggests a cannabis withdrawal syndrome is valid and clinically significant; however, these studies have mostly been conducted in highly controlled laboratory settings with treatment-seeking, White adults. The present study analyzed archival data to explore the magnitude of cannabis withdrawal symptoms within a diverse sample of detained adolescents while controlling for tobacco use and investigating the impact of race on symptom reports. Adolescents recruited from a juvenile correctional facility (N=93) completed a background questionnaire and the Marijuana Withdrawal Checklist. Analyses revealed a significant main effect for level of tobacco use on severity of irritability, and for level of marijuana use on severity of craving to smoke marijuana and strange/wild dreams. Furthermore, a significant main effect for race was found with Black adolescents reporting lower withdrawal discomfort scores and experiencing less severe depressed mood, difficulty sleeping, nervousness/anxiety, and strange/wild dreams. Although exploratory, these findings may have significant clinical implications for providers in juvenile detention facilities, allowing the execution of proper medical and/or behavioral interventions to assist adolescents presenting with problematic cannabis and/or tobacco withdrawal.

Prevalence of Cannabis Withdrawal Symptoms Among People With Regular or Dependent Use of Cannabinoids

“…We screened a total of 3848 unique citations, of which 86 were screened in full, and 47 were included in the review (Figure 1), reporting on 50 unique cohorts. In total, 23 518 participants were 32,47,52 the Customary Drinking and Drug Use Record, 50 the Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Substance Abuse Module, 17,20,25,30,36,39 the Cannabis Withdrawal Scale, 37,51,54,56 the Marijuana Quit Questionnaire, 28,41,43,45,46,58 the Marijuana Withdrawal Symptom Checklist, 6,7,27,33,34,42,49,53,55,60 the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism, 18,40,48 the Structured Clinical…”

The cannabis withdrawal syndrome: current insights

“…Additional heavy tobacco use was reported to be associated with stronger irritability during the CWS of adolescents 40. Black adolescents were shown to have lower withdrawal complaints and experience less severe depressed mood, sleep difficulty, and nervousness/anxiety than non-Black adolescents 40.…”

“…Black adolescents were shown to have lower withdrawal complaints and experience less severe depressed mood, sleep difficulty, and nervousness/anxiety than non-Black adolescents 40. In youths with conduct disorder, this disorder antedated cannabis use 38…”

“… 34 – 36 The CWS was also verified in youths and adolescents (aged 13–19 years), who sought treatment for their disabilitating cannabis dependence. 18 , 37 – 40 …”

Prevalence of Cannabis Withdrawal Symptoms Among People With Regular or Dependent Use of Cannabinoids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…We screened a total of 3848 unique citations, of which 86 were screened in full, and 47 were included in the review (Figure 1), reporting on 50 unique cohorts. In total, 23 518 participants were the Customary Drinking and Drug Use Record, 50 the Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Substance Abuse Module, 17,20,25,30,36,39 the Cannabis Withdrawal Scale, 37,51,54,56 the Marijuana Quit Questionnaire, 28,41,43,45,46,58 the Marijuana Withdrawal Symptom Checklist, 6,7,27,33,34,42,49,53,55,60 the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism, 18,40,48 the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM, 19,[21][22][23][24]26,31,35,59 and the Time-Line-Follow-Back. 57 Cannabis use disorder (CUD) or its equivalent (ie, cannabis dependence with or without cannabis abuse) was analyzed as defined by the study authors using varying criteria sets, including Clinical Interview for the DSM.…”