Time Trends in the Co-use of Cannabis and the Misuse of Tranquilizers, Sedatives and Sleeping Pills among Young Adults in Spain between 2009 and 2015

Changing patterns of hospitalization for sedative misuse among youth aged 10-24 years in Quebec, Canada

Purpose

To assess trends in hospitalization for sedative misuse among youth.

Methods

Using a serial cross-sectional design, we computed hospitalization rates for sedative-related suicide attempts, sedative use disorders, and other sedative poisonings within individuals aged 5-24 years in Quebec, Canada. We computed sedative-related hospitalization rates in 2006-2011, 2012-2017, and 2018-2023, and examined differences according to age, sex, polysubstance use, mental health comorbidity, and social vulnerability using rate ratios (RR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) comparing the last time period relative to the first.

Results

Sedative-related hospitalization rates more than doubled during the study. Suicide attempts using sedatives increased from 50.5 per 100,000 youth in 2006-2011, to 82.2 in 2012-2017 and 114.4 in 2018-2023 (RR 2.26, 95 % CI 1.63-3.15), while sedative use disorders increased from 13.1 to 21.8 and 60.5 per 100,000 in these same time periods (RR 4.62, 95 % CI 2.54-8.40). Rates increased for 10-24 year-olds and in both sexes, particularly among youth with polysubstance use, anxiety and attention disorders, and social vulnerability.

Discussion

Sedative misuse requiring hospitalization appears to be a growing issue among youth.

THC exposure during adolescence increases impulsivity-like behavior in adulthood in a WIN 55,212-2 self-administration mouse model

Background

Cannabis addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder lacking effective treatment. Regular cannabis consumption typically begins during adolescence, and this early cannabinoid exposure may increase the risk for drug addiction in adulthood.

Objective

This study investigates the development of cannabis addiction-like behavior in adult mice after adolescent exposure to the main psychoactive component of cannabis, Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Methods

Adolescent male mice were exposed to 5 mg/kg of THC from postnatal days 37 to 57. Operant self-administration sessions of WIN 55,212-2 (12.5 μg/kg/infusion) were conducted for 10 days. Mice were tested for three addiction-like criteria (persistence of response, motivation, and compulsivity), two parameters related to craving (resistance to extinction and drug-seeking behavior), and two phenotypic vulnerability traits related to substance use disorders (impulsivity and reward sensitivity). Additionally, qPCR assays were performed to detect differentially expressed genes in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), nucleus accumbens (NAc), dorsal striatum, and hippocampus (HPC) of "addicted" and "non-addicted" mice.

Results

Adolescent THC exposure did not modify WIN 55,212-2 reinforcement nor the development of cannabis addiction-like behavior. Inversely, THC pre-exposed mice displayed impulsive-like behavior in adulthood, which was more pronounced in mice that developed the addiction-like criteria. Moreover, downregulated drd2 and adora2a gene expression in NAc and HPC was revealed in THC pre-exposed mice, as well as a downregulation of drd2 expression in mPFC of vehicle pre-treated mice that developed addiction-like behaviors.

Discussion

These findings suggest that adolescent THC exposure may promote impulsivity-like behavior in adulthood, associated with downregulated drd2 and adora2a expression in NAc and HPC.

Nonmedical Use of Benzodiazepines among Immigrant and Native-Born Adolescents in Spain: National Trends and Related Factors

Background: the nonmedical use of prescribed medications among adolescents has increased significantly in recent years. We aimed to identify the patterns of benzodiazepine nonmedical use and its evolution during the decade 2006–2016 among immigrant and native-born adolescent populations. Methods: we used individualized secondary data retrieved from the 2006–2016 Spanish State Survey on Drug Use in Secondary Education (ESTUDES) of the school-aged population. Using logistic multivariate regression models, we estimated the independent effect of each of these variables on nonmedical use. Two models were generated: one for immigrant adolescents and one for native-born adolescents. Results: during the decade 2006–2016, 2.81% of native-born and 3.36% of immigrant adolescent students made nonmedical use of benzodiazepines. Gender and socioeconomic status were found to be related to the nonmedical use of benzodiazepines. Consumption of illegal psychoactive substances, other than marijuana, was the variable of greatest value (aOR = 6.00, 95% CI 3.89–9.27). Perceived risks and drug availability were found to be predictors for the nonmedical use of benzodiazepines in both immigrant and native-born adolescents. Conclusion: in Spain, patterns of benzodiazepine nonmedical use among immigrant and native-born adolescents are similar. The results of this study refute certain stereotypes related to consumption of substances among immigrant adolescents, identifying them as a risk group.

Substance Use among Spanish Adolescents: The Information Paradox

This aim of this paper is to determine the relationship between the consumption of tobacco, cannabis, and alcohol (including drunkenness and binge drinking consumption patterns) in the previous 30 days by Spanish adolescents and the information that is available to adolescents on drug consumption. This cross-sectional study employed data from the Survey on Drug Use in Secondary Education in Spain (ESTUDES 2016), which was conducted on students aged 14 to 18 (n = 35,369). Contingency tables, mean comparison tests, and logistic regression analyses were conducted and prevalence ratios (PR) were obtained. The results show that the probability that an adolescent will smoke tobacco is associated with whether their mother and/or father smoke (PR: 1.30), whether some of their friends smoke (PR: 14.23), whether the majority of their friends smoke (PR: 94.05) and how well informed they perceive themselves to be (PR: 1.30). Cannabis use is mainly associated with whether most of their friends also use cannabis (PR: 93.05) and whether they are sufficiently informed regarding this consumption (PR: 1.59). Alcohol consumption is associated with whether their mothers drink regularly (PR: 1.21), whether most of their friends drink (PR: 37.29), and whether they are well informed (PR: 1.28). Getting drunk and binge drinking are associated with whether their friends have these behaviors (PR: 44.81 and 7.36, respectively) and whether they are sufficiently informed (PR: 1.23 for both behaviors). In conclusion, the consumption of these substances is more frequent among Spanish adolescents who believe that they are better informed and whose friends have similar patterns of consumption.

Binge Drinking, Cannabis Co-Consumption and Academic Achievement in First Year University Students in Spain: Academic Adjustment as a Mediator

Little is known about how binge drinking or the combination of binge drinking and cannabis consumption affect academic achievement in students during the transition to university, or about the mechanisms that mediate this relationship. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between this pattern of alcohol/cannabis consumption and academic achievement, considering academic adjustment as a possible mediator. A total of 258 Spanish, first-year university students (145 females and 113 males), enrolled in undergraduate degree courses, were categorized into three groups on the basis of their patterns of alcohol/cannabis consumption: control, binge drinkers and co-consumers. The findings showed a significant effect of the combined binge drinking/cannabis consumption, but not of binge drinking alone, upon academic achievement and academic adjustment. Grade point average (GPA) and academic adjustment were lower in the co-consumers than in the other groups. Regarding the mediation effect, 34.33% of the impact of combined alcohol/cannabis use on GPA was mediated by academic adjustment. The combined consumption of alcohol and cannabis led to difficulties in adaptation to academic life, which in turn contributed to poorer performance at university. The implications of the findings are discussed.