eMedicine Specialties > Psychiatry > Addiction
Cannabis Compound Abuse: Follow-up
Updated: Feb 20, 2007
Follow-up
Further Outpatient Care
- Follow-up care should be comprehensive and involve specialist services such as those provided by drug treatment units.
- Treatment includes behavior therapy (aimed at reducing the chances of reexposure and establishing coping mechanisms to resist further use); family, group, and individual therapy; and periodic testing of urine to monitor abstinence.
- Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a self-help group organized on principles similar to Alcoholics Anonymous and is useful in helping addicts maintain abstinence.
- Adolescent drug programs usually focus on promoting communication skills and age-appropriate behaviors.
Deterrence/Prevention
- School-based programs and peer-led groups may be useful in primary prevention of marijuana abuse.
- Voucher-based reinforcement of marijuana abstinence among individuals with serious mental illness has proven effective.
Complications
- Marijuana use may be complicated by comorbid substance use and medical problems as outlined.
- Marijuana abuse may result in infants with low birth weights.
- THC is soluble in breast milk and can be passed to infants.
Prognosis
- As with other substance abuse conditions, relapse is common, and treatment may be necessary for multiple episodes.
Patient Education
- Inform patients about the possible carcinogenic properties of marijuana.
- The role of marijuana as a gateway drug must be emphasized to users. Complete abstinence is the goal.
- For excellent patient education resources, visit eMedicine's Substance Abuse Center. Also, see eMedicine's patient education articles Drug Dependence and Abuse and Substance Abuse.
Miscellaneous
Medicolegal Pitfalls
- Failure of physicians to recognize cannabis abuse is common. People who use marijuana generally have no stigmata of marijuana abuse, and a high index of suspicion and careful urine testing may be needed to diagnose such abuse.
- Marijuana abuse may be a factor in vehicle or machinery accidents because intoxication affects coordination and motor performance. Perform the appropriate tests for use of marijuana after these accidents.
- Cannabis intoxication may be associated with dysphoric, irritable, or aggressive mood changes. Carefully examine patients for evidence of suicidality and homicidality, document presence or absence thereof, and manage as indicated.
Special Concerns
- Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug among pregnant women and women of childbearing age in most Western societies. Studies on electively aborted fetuses demonstrated impairment of growth during midgestation. Additionally, fetuses exposed to marijuana via maternal use had lower birthweight, head circumference, foot length, and body length.
The authors and editors of eMedicine gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous author Robert C Daly, MB, ChB, MPH, BCh and Can M Savasman, MD to the development and writing of this article.
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References
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Further Reading
Keywords
Cannabis sativa, C sativa, marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, hashish, ganja, pot, weed, reefer, grass, joint, roach, dope, spliff, herb
Follow-up: Cannabis Compound Abuse