Developmental Trajectories of Marijuana Use among Men

Abstract

Objectives Examine whether young men who chronically use marijuana are at risk for engaging in drug-related and non-drug-related criminal offending and exhibiting psychopathic personality features in their mid-30s. Methods Patterns of marijuana use were delineated in a sample of predominately Black and White young men from adolescence to the mid-20s using latent class growth curve analysis. Self-report and official records of criminal offending and psychopathic personality features were assessed in the mid-30s. Analyses controlled for multiple factors indicative of a preexisting antisocial lifestyle and co-occurring use of other substances and tested for moderation by race. Results Four latent marijuana trajectory groups were identified: chronic high, adolescence-limited, late increasing, and low/nonusers. Relative to low/nonusers, chronic high and late increasing marijuana users exhibited more adult psychopathic features and were more likely to engage in drug-related offending during their mid-30s. Adolescence-limited users were similar to low/nonusers in terms of psychopathic features but were more likely to be arrested for drug-related crimes. No trajectory group differences were found for violence or theft, and the group differences were not moderated by race. Conclusions Young men who engage in chronic marijuana use from adolescence into their 20s are at increased risk for exhibiting psychopathic features, dealing drugs, and enduring drug-related legal problems in their mid-30s relative to men who remain abstinent or use infrequently.

Trajectories of Marijuana Use among HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative MSM in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), 1984–2013

“…Prior studies that have assessed trajectories of marijuana use have focused on adolescents transitioning into young adulthood [39–45] or racial/ethnic minorities [48–50], with a few studies reporting trajectories of use covering adulthood [51–53]. Direct comparisons of the results from our study with prior research may not be straightforward due to the different populations studied and age periods covered.…”

Developmental pathways of adolescent cannabis use: Risk factors, outcomes and sex-specific differences

“…However, approximately 14% adolescents in the current sample experienced a precipitous increase in their level of CU during the course of this study. Prior work identifying a similar group of ‘escalating’ users indicates that these individuals often continue using into adulthood (e.g., Pardini et al, 2015). Moreover, the proportion of participants exibhiting this trajectory coincides with previously reported rates of “conditional dependence” for cannabis: that is, the proportion of individuals that develop dependence at some point after trying the drug (Anthony, Warner, & Kessler, 1994; Lopez‐Quintero & Anthony, 2015).…”

“…In addition, and paralleling findings from prior research, we also observed a small subset of youth who demonstrated relatively high levels of use consistently throughout the course of the study. Prior studies indicate that these youth are at increased risk for continued heavy use as adults and that they have a greater likelihood of experiencing a number of negative outcomes in adulthood (e.g., criminality, poor health) as compared to other cannabis user subgroups (Bechtold, Simpson, White, & Pardini, 2015; Pardini et al, 2015; Tucker, Ellickson, Orlando, Martino, & Klein, 2005). In contrast to several other studies (Brook et al, 2011a; Brook et al, 2011b), we did not find evidence for a group of cannabis users whose use dissipated across the study period.…”

“…Conceptually, youth have been categorized into distinct subgroups of CU, with most either abstaining from or engaging only in low levels of infrequent use. A small contingent of early-onset chronic users initiate use during early- to mid-adolescence and continue to engage in high levels of CU into early adulthood; while another subset of youth experience a delayed onset of CU but exhibit a precipitous increase in their use across adolescence (Brook, Zhang, & Brook, 2011; Pardini, Bechtold, Loeber, & White, 2015). Evidence of additional trajectories of adolescent CU have also been found (e.g., “occasional” “desisting” “fling” users; Brook, Lee, Brown, Finch, & Brook, 2011; Schulenberg et al, 2005), albeit less consistently than the aforementioned patterns of use.…”

Longitudinal patterns of marijuana use across ages 18–50 in a US national sample: A descriptive examination of predictors and health correlates of repeated measures latent class membership

“…Unsurprisingly, individuals with such trajectories are at elevated risk for abuse and/or dependence (Brown et al, 2004; Flory et al, 2004; Juon et al, 2011; Lynne-Landsman et al, 2010; Nelson et al, 2015; Pardini et al, 2015; Tucker et al, 2005; Windle and Wiesner, 2004). Some studies have found significantly heightened risk for adverse psychological outcomes among chronic high-frequency marijuana use trajectories (Arria et al, 2016; Brook et al, 2011a, 2011b; Flory et al, 2004; Juon et al, 2011; Lynne-Landsman et al, 2010; Newcomb and Bentler, 1988; Pardini et al, 2015); results have been mixed or non-significant in other studies (Bechtold et al, 2015; Brown et al, 2004; Ellickson et al, 2004; Windle and Wiesner 2004). Cognitive outcomes such as verbal memory have been negatively associated with cumulative lifetime marijuana exposure (Auer et al, 2016), and there is some indication that delayed recall may improve among individuals who cease weakly marijuana use (Tait et al, 2011).…”