Abstract
Treatment for substance use disorders has traditionally been abstinence-oriented, but evaluating the merits of low-level cannabis use as potential treatment endpoint may identify benefits that are clinically relevant for treatment-seeking individuals who do not attain abstinence. This study explores if reduction in cannabis use to a lower level of use is related to improved physical health, mental health, and perceived cognitive functions. Study participants with a history of problematic cannabis use (n = 111) completed assessments. Regression models were used to explore the relationship between past 30-day cannabis use levels (abstinent [57%], low use [22%] defined as less than or equal to 3 days per week, and heavy use [22%] defined as 4 or more days of use per week) and functional status in physical health, mental health, and cognition. Compared to heavy users, both abstinent and low-use individuals were similarly associated with better global health, appetite, and depression outcomes. Abstinent users also reported improved sleep, anxiety, and self-reported cognitive functioning relative to heavy users. Thus, reduction in cannabis use to lower levels is associated with beneficial outcomes important to health and other areas of functioning in individuals with problematic cannabis use.
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Acknowledgements
Support provided through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA042280).
We are grateful for the dedication of staff at each participating treatment facility in Los Angeles, California: Tarzana Treatment Centers, Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse (LA CADA), SHIELDS for Families, Antelope Valley Rehabilitation Centers, UCLA Dual Diagnosis Intensive Outpatient Program, Phoenix House.
Funding
This project has been funded in part with federal funds from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) grant# R21DA042280.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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Mooney, L.J., Zhu, Y., Yoo, C. et al. Reduction in Cannabis Use and Functional Status in Physical Health, Mental Health, and Cognition. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 13, 479–487 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11481-018-9813-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11481-018-9813-6