title: Cannabis use and related harms in the transition to young adulthood: a longitudinal study of Australian secondary school students.
abstract: The current study documents the changing rates of cannabis use, misuse and cannabis-related social harms among Australian adolescents as they grow into young adulthood. It utilised data from a longitudinal study of young people at ages 15, 16, 17, and 19. The rates of cannabis use were found to increase as participants aged; past year use increased from 7.5% at age 15 to 29.8% at age 19. Further, at ages 17 and 19, cannabis use was more prevalent among males than females. Among those who reported cannabis use, the rates of cannabis-related harms were low to moderate, and did not increase with age in the same manner as rates of cannabis use. The most prevalent self-reported cannabis-related harm was anxiety/depression; affecting between 20-30% of the cannabis users at each age. These findings may assist in understanding the extent of cannabis-related problems among youth, and in planning relevant services.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, 115 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065, Australia. kirsty.balog@acu.edu.au
authors.forename: Kirsty E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Scholes-Balog
authors.forename: Sheryl A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Hemphill
authors.forename: George C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Patton
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Toumbourou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult