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Cannabinoids and Adolescence

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Abstract

Adolescence is a period for cortical maturation and neuronal development, particularly among frontal areas pertaining to executive function, decision-making, and reasoning. For these reasons, the adolescent brain may be vulnerable to certain substances that can cross the blood-brain barrier such as cannabis. The recreational use of cannabis in adolescence has been associated with impairments in cognition and worsening mental health trajectories. Some evidence suggests that these associated harms dissipate over time with abstinence, and are specific to subpopulations with specific risk factors (i.e., genetically vulnerable, history of childhood trauma, high-potent THC use).

Healthcare providers and parents can utilize resources such as “8 As for addressing cannabis use with adolescents” by the Canadian Paediatric Society and the “Sensible Cannabis Education” toolkit created by the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP) as education tools when engaging with youth about cannabis use. The Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST), CRAFFT, and Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) are important screening questionnaires that can be used to identify at-risk patients. Further longitudinal research in conjunction with the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study is warranted to determine if any chronic effects result from the use of cannabis in adolescence.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Caroline A. MacCallum

  2. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Lauren de Freitas

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  1. Caroline A. MacCallum
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  2. Lauren de Freitas
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Correspondence to Caroline A. MacCallum .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Western Reserve Hospital, Center For Pain Medicine, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA

    Samer N. Narouze

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MacCallum, C.A., de Freitas, L. (2021). Cannabinoids and Adolescence. In: Narouze, S.N. (eds) Cannabinoids and Pain. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69186-8_34

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69186-8_34

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