Early predictors of maturing out of marijuana use among young men

Abstract

Objective Although several studies have delineated risk factors for adolescent regular marijuana use, few studies have identified those factors that differentiate who will and will not eventually stop using marijuana during young adulthood. This study examined the extent to which adolescent risk factors, including individual attitudes, temperament, and behaviors and peer, family, and neighborhood factors, could prospectively identify which adolescence-onset monthly marijuana users (AMMU) would stop using marijuana in young adulthood and whether race moderated these associations. Method Data came from 503 young men who were followed annually from the first grade through mean age 20 and then re-interviewed at mean ages 26 and 29. Young men who used marijuana at least monthly at least one year between ages 14 and 17 (N = 140) were compared to their peers who had not tried marijuana by age 17 (N = 244). The former group was divided into those who used at least weekly in adulthood (N = 54) and those who did not use at all in adulthood (N = 66) and these groups were compared to each other. Results Logistic regression analyses indicated that all except one of the adolescent risk factors significantly differentiated AMMU from nonusers. None of the predictors differentiated those who matured out from those who used weekly in young adulthood. Conclusions Future research on marijuana cessation should incorporate subjective life experiences, such as reasons for using and negative consequences from use, to help identify adolescents who are at risk for problematic use in adulthood.

Maturing out of alcohol and cannabis co‐use: A test of patterns and personality predictors

“…One possibility is that individuals may mature out of both substances, gradually reducing consumption of alcohol and cannabis conjointly. This pattern would follow past studies of alcohol and cannabis, singularly, showing gradual declines in both into adulthood (e.g., Lee & Sher, 2018; White et al, 2017). However, another possibility is that individuals may mature out of one substance but not the other, similar to Tucker et al (2021)'s fourth class who decreased their cannabis but not alcohol use.…”

“…However, there is thought to be a naturalistic “maturing out” phase toward the end of young adulthood, where rates of substance use decrease as adult responsibilities and demands increase (e.g., Dawson et al, 2006; Lee & Sher, 2018; O'Malley, 2004). Thus, studies consistently find that young adults report high rates of alcohol use, cannabis use, and SUD symptoms (e.g., Grant et al, 2017; Hasin et al, 2016), and that rates of alcohol and cannabis use and related problems decrease into adulthood, with the most sizable decreases toward the end of young adulthood (e.g., Brook et al, 2011; Lee et al, 2013; Vergés et al, 2012; White et al, 2017; Windle, 2020).…”

Becoming a medical marijuana user

“…On one hand, this process of declining medical use of marijuana could be akin to lessening the use of any other therapeutic drug once the targeted health condition improves (Mitchell, 2007). On the other hand, it could be similar to the broader phenomena of maturing out (Winick, 1962) of marijuana as one ages into adulthood (Brook et al, 2011; Chen & Kendel, 1998; White et al 2017) but specific to medical use of marijuana whereby adult responsibilities, e.g., career, relationships, alter the circumstances by which marijuana was useful for medical purposes. It is possible that some participants who currently identified as medical users (n=30) will follow a similar trajectory and transition to non-medical users overtime as health conditions improve.…”

Working Memory Development and Motor Vehicle Crashes in Young Drivers

“…Previous work has shown an inverse association between WM and impulsivity at earlier ages, 23 but impulsivity does not appear to be associated with later adolescent problem behaviors as well as early behaviors. 31,32 Future studies with larger sample sizes can better model the effects of impulsivity and substance use, along with WM development, on crash risk. Furthermore, examining clinical populations with impaired impulse control and more severe crash risk may give us insight into how WM development and impulsivity explain crash risk during adolescent development.…”