Vancouver, British Columbia: An estimated one-third of adolescents view their use of marijuana as therapeutic rather than recreational, according to survey data published online by the journal Substance Abuse, Treatment, Prevention and Policy.
Investigators at the University of British Columbia conducted structured interviews with over 60 adolescents age 13 to 18 about their cannabis use. Participants who said that they used marijuana “to help them feel better” were asked to elaborate further on their experience.
Approximately one-third of those surveyed “explicitly described experiences of using marijuana on a regular basis specifically to manage, reduce or eliminate unpleasant and uncomfortable feelings or other health problems. They constructed marijuana as a treatment for health problems, often suggesting that it had significantly greater benefit than other medical treatments they had been offered,” such as prescription medications like Ritalin, Prozac, or sleeping pills.
Investigators noted that none of the young people surveyed in the study were legally provided marijuana for medical treatment.
Teens most commonly reported using cannabis therapeutically to counter symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), physical pain, and sleeplessness.
Investigators concluded: “The findings of this study provide one of the first in-depth descriptions of youths’ use of marijuana for non-recreational purposes, adding to the growing body of research on the use of drugs to self-medicate among young people. Teens involved in regular and long-term use of marijuana for relief constructed their use of marijuana as essential to feeling better or ‘normal’ in situations.
They added, “For these youth, the purpose of smoking marijuana was not specifically about getting high or stoned, nor was marijuana used for ‘pleasure. Young people’s descriptions of marijuana use for relief were imbued with language common to using pharmaceuticals. A number of these youth indicated how they carefully titrated their intake; others described their use as ‘moderate,’ involving a ‘few puffs,’ or just a ‘certain amount.’ … In fact, participants tended to differentiate their own use from peers who were recreational users.”
For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500 or Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study is available online at: http://www.substanceabusepolicy.com/content/4/1/7.