Cannabis dependence in young adults: An Australian population study

Abstract

Objectives: The symptomatology of cannabis dependence remains ill-defined and its importance controversial. Compared with alcohol dependence, the symptom profile of cannabis dependence has received little attention. We aimed to (a) report cannabis use in a representative population of young adults. (b) examine cannabis dependence symptoms according to frequency in the dependence syndrome and (c) contrast the symptomatology of cannabis and alcohol syndromes. Methods: 1601 young adults (mean age 20.7 years) from an Australian longitudinal cohort study (N = 2032) were surveyed in 1998. Regular substance users were assessed for DSM-IV cannabis and alcohol dependence. Prevalence estimates allowed..