本文比较了高中后开始使用大麻的后果与青春期开始使用大麻的后果,估计成人发作和青少年发作的大麻使用者所占的不良后果比例。
维多利亚州具有代表性的样本,澳大利亚(n=1792)参加了10波纵向研究,年龄在15至35岁之间。暴露变量:20年的大麻使用模式。35岁时的结果:饮酒,吸烟,非法药物使用,关系状态,经济困难,抑郁症,焦虑和就业状况。
在高中(年轻成人发病)后开始定期使用的参与者(13.6%)比青春期(7.7%,青春期发病)。到了30年代中期,与最低/非使用者(63.5%)相比,年轻成人和青少年发作的经常使用者更有可能使用其他非法药物(比值比[OR]>20.4),是一个高风险的饮酒者(OR>3.7),每天吸烟(OR>7.2),不太可能出现关系(OR<0.4)。由于青少年发病组的患病率几乎是青少年发病组的两倍,与青少年发病组相比,它在不良后果中所占的比例更高。
在青少年时期开始经常使用的大麻使用者的后期生活结果要比不使用的同龄人差。高中毕业后开始定期使用大麻的较大群体占成年后与大麻有关的大多数危害。鉴于大麻使用在越来越多的司法管辖区合法化,我们应该越来越期望大麻使用的危害在于年轻时开始使用的危害。
This paper compares consequences of cannabis use initiated after high school with those of cannabis initiation in adolescence, with estimates of the proportion of adverse consequences accounted for by adult-onset and adolescent-onset cannabis users.
A state-representative sample in Victoria, Australia (n = 1792) participated in a 10-wave longitudinal
study and was followed from age 15 to 35 years. Exposure variable: Patterns of cannabis use across 20 years. Outcomes at age 35: Alcohol use, smoking, illicit drug use, relationship status, financial hardship, depression, anxiety and employment status.
Substantially more participants (13.6%) initiated regular use after high school (young-adult onset) than in adolescence (7.7%, adolescent onset). By the mid-30s, both young-adult and adolescent-onset regular users were more likely than minimal/non-users (63.5%) to have used other illicit drugs (odds ratio [OR] > 20.4), be a high-risk alcohol drinker (OR > 3.7), smoked daily (OR > 7.2) and less likely to be in relationships (OR < 0.4). As the prevalence of the young-adult-onset group was nearly double of the adolescent-onset group, it accounted for a higher proportion of adverse consequences than the adolescent-onset group.
Cannabis users who began regular use in their teens had poorer later life outcomes than non-using peers. The larger group who began regular cannabis use after leaving high school accounted for most cannabis-related harms in adulthood. Given the legalisation of cannabis use in an increasing number of jurisdictions, we should increasingly expect harms from cannabis use to lie in those commencing use in young adulthood.