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Patterns and correlates of cannabis dependence among long‐term users in an Australian rural area
Author(s) -
Swift Wendy,
Hall Wayne,
Didcott Peter,
Reilly David
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1046/j.1360-0443.1998.93811493.x
Subject(s) - cannabis , cannabis dependence , concordance , psychiatry , psychology , clinical psychology , alcohol dependence , medicine , demography , biochemistry , chemistry , alcohol , cannabidiol , sociology
Aim. To examine prevalence and correlates of cannabis dependence among long‐term cannabis users. Design. A cross‐sectional survey of patterns and experiences of cannabis use and dependence. Setting and participants. A snowball sample of 243 long‐term cannabis smokers, who were currently smoking 3‐4 times a week, were recruited from the New South Wales North Coast, an area long associated with cannabis cultivation and use. Measurements. A structured interview was administered, incorporating the following dependence measures: an approximation to a life‐time DSM‐III‐R diagnosis, an approximation to a 12‐month ICD‐10 diagnosis, and the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS). Findings. Prevalence of a life‐time DSM‐III‐R diagnosis of cannabis dependence was 57%, while 57% received an ICD‐10 dependence diagnosis for the last year. Substantially fewer (15%) of the sample were diagnosed as dependent according to the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS). Only 26% believed they had a problem with cannabis at least sometimes. There was general concordance between DSM‐III‐R and ICD‐10 measures, but not between these and the SDS. ICD‐10 and DSM‐III‐R dependence diagnoses were modestly correlated with age, life‐time illicit drug use and quantity of cannabis use. Principal components analyses of the dependence measures provided little evidence for a unidimensional dependence syndrome for ICD‐10 and DSM‐III‐R criteria. There was strong support for unidimensionality of the SDS. Conclusions. Symptoms of cannabis dependence were common among these long‐term users but only one‐quarter perceived that they had a cannabis problem. There was no strong evidence for a unidimensional cannabis dependence syndrome.