Pubdate: Mon, 03 Dec 2001
Source: Reuters (Wire)
Copyright: 2001 Reuters Limited
Author: Suzanne Rostler
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

MARIJUANA ABUSE MAY UP RISK OF DEPRESSION

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Adults who abuse marijuana may be putting 
themselves at risk for depression, results of a new study indicate.

According to the report, adults who were not depressed when the study 
began but who abused marijuana were about four times more likely to 
report symptoms of depression 15 years later, compared with their 
non-smoking peers.

These adults were especially likely to have had suicidal thoughts and 
report a lack of interest in things that once held their interest, 
Dr. Gregory B. Bovasso reports in the December issue of the American 
Journal of Psychiatry. Pot smokers were four times more likely than 
their non-smoking peers to have suicidal thoughts, and white women 
were found to be at particular risk.

In the study, marijuana abuse was defined by various signs of problem 
pot use, such as impaired work performance or using the drug on the 
job.

Individuals who used other drugs such as amphetamines and opioids 
were about 8 to 10 times more likely to be abusing pot 15 years 
later. However, those who were depressed when the study began were no 
more likely to abuse marijuana later on, according to the report, 
which followed nearly 850 adults who were not depressed and more than 
1,800 who did not report marijuana abuse at the study's start.

In an interview with Reuters Health, Bovasso suggested that future 
studies investigate how excessive pot-smoking leads to a higher risk 
of depression, examine why adults abuse marijuana and establish how 
much pot is enough to put people at risk of becoming depressed.

In the meantime, the findings ``underscore the importance of cannabis 
abuse prevention rather than treatment,'' because they highlight new 
cases of depression arising among marijuana abusers, the report 
concludes.

``Treatments or other interventions that prevent the abuse of 
cannabis from occurring in the first place are important,'' Bovasso 
said. ``On a general policy level, marijuana...may not be as harmless 
as many believe.

''SOURCE: American Journal of Psychiatry 2001;158:2033-2037.
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