The results of a study conducted to quantify the quality of life of cannabis users in Brazil, just published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, show that those who reported themselves to be habitual and regular users of cannabis self-classified higher quality of life scores than those who regarded themselves as problematic or non-users of cannabis.
According to a 2 January 2022 story by Kevin Dinneen in Leafie, 7,405 participants answered an online survey that collected demographic data, cannabis and other substance use information alongside standardised scales to assess quality of life, subjective well-being, anxiety and depression scores.
The participants were reported to be 90% cannabis users and 10% non-users, mostly young adult males, without children, employed and with at least a high-school education. Within the sample 17.1% self-classified themselves to be occasional users of cannabis, 64.6% habitual users and 7.7% dysfunctional users.
Participants who reported the highest quality of life scores were the habitual users, followed by occasional users, whereas non-users and dysfunctional users reported lower quality of life scores, writes Leafie.
Subjective measures of well-being were lowest amongst the dysfunctional use group, who also reported more prevalence of poor quality of life, depression and anxiety symptoms. Non-users also reported more symptoms of depression and anxiety and poorer quality of life scores than habitual and occasional users.
In the study, says Leafie, researchers noted: “The results obtained in this study are particularly relevant because they refer to a sample predominantly composed of habitual cannabis users from the general population, a rarely represented group in other surveys.
“The fact that cannabis use is generally associated with increased risk of adverse health outcomes was not observed in this study.”
However, the methods used give the results a certain amount of vulnerability for a number of reasons, which are explained in Leafie.
Link to the full story in Leafie below.
Study details
Mental health and quality of life in a population of recreative cannabis users in Brazil
Paulo Rogério Morais, Kelsy Catherina Nema Areco, Thiago Marques Fidalgoa and Dartiu Xavier da Silveira
Author affiliations: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Universidade Federal de Rondônia and the Observatory of Violence, Health and Work (OBSAT).
Published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, Volume 146, February 2022. Available online on 15 December 2021.
Abstract
Cannabis is the third most used recreational drug worldwide. Despite the popularity of cannabis use among Brazilians, information about frequent cannabis users outside clinical contexts remains scarce.
This is a cross-sectional study of a non-probabilistic sample of 7,405 Brazilian adults (6,620 [89.4%] cannabis users and 785 [10.6%] non-users) who answered an online survey that collected demographic data, cannabis and other substance use information (initial substance use, lifetime and past-month use), and standardised scales to assess quality of life, subjective well-being, anxiety and depression scores.
Among cannabis users, 17.1% of the participants self-classified themselves as occasional users, 64.6% as habitual users, and 7.7% as dysfunctional users. Participants were mostly young male adults, with at least high-school education, employed, without children.
The highest scores for quality of life were observed among habitual cannabis users, followed by occasional users, while both non-users and dysfunctional users presented less favourable scores. Subjective measures of well-being were higher among habitual and occasional users than among non-users, whereas dysfunctional users were the most affected.
Poor quality of life, depression or anxiety were more prevalent among dysfunctional users, but non-users of cannabis reported more depression or anxiety symptoms and less quality of life than both occasional and habitual users.
The results obtained in this study are particularly relevant because they refer to a sample predominantly composed of habitual cannabis users from the general population, a rarely represented group in other surveys. The fact that cannabis use is generally associated with increased risk of adverse health outcomes was not observed in this study.
Leafie story – Cannabis users report higher quality of life than non-users (Open access)
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Dosing, administering medical cannabis for chronic pain – Recommendations