Dual alcohol and cannabis use in male and female adolescents: Relationships with family variables

Family dynamics influence adolescents' use of alcohol and other substances, such as cannabis. The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between family variables and alcohol use, dual use of alcohol and cannabis, and non-use in adolescents according to sex. A cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample comprised 879 adolescents (56.4 % boys; M(SD)age = 14.25 (1.88) years). Multinomial regression analysis showed that for boys, the presence of family conflict increased the likelihood of being an alcohol (OR = 1.19) and dual (OR = 1.23) user rather than a non-user. For girls, communication reduced the probability of being an alcohol user (OR = 0.88), and the presence of consequences for breaking rules reduced the probability of being a dual user rather than a non-user (OR = 0.83) or an alcohol user (OR = 0.84). These findings highlight the importance of family prevention of adolescents' substance use, bearing in mind the participants' sex.

Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Drug Use in Healthcare Professionals: A Systematic Review

Healthcare professionals are exposed to stressful situations that may favor substance use vulnerability. This systematic review aims to synthesize the risk and protective factors associated with use, abuse, and dependence of alcohol, tobacco, psychoactive drugs, and cannabis in healthcare professionals. Following PRISMA recommendations, a systematic search was performed in PsycINFO, Web of Science, PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library. The search yielded 1523 studies, of which 19 were selected. The identified risk factors were demographic factors (i.e. male gender, and single/divorced marital status), psychopathological factors, social factors, positive attitudes toward drugs, unhealthy lifestyle habits, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the coexistence of the use of several substances. The protective factors were demographic factors (i.e. ethnicity and having dependent children), healthy lifestyle habits, and workplace anti-drug policies (i.e. restriction of tobacco use). These findings highlight the need for preventive actions against drug use in healthcare professionals to improve their health and reduce the possible negative impact on their healthcare practice. Knowledge of modifiable risk and protective factors allows their incorporation as components in preventive actions, and non-modifiable factors (e.g. demographic variables) may contribute to the detection of groups of greater vulnerability to propose selective prevention actions in this population.

Correction to: Cannabis Use in Young and Adult University Students Before and During the COVID-19 Lockdown, According to Gender and Age

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s11469-022-00991-y.].

Cannabis Use in Young and Adult University Students Before and During the COVID-19 Lockdown, According to Gender and Age

The objectives were: (a) to establish cannabis use prevalence in university students; (b) to determine the changes in consumption of cannabis between prior to and during lockdown. Problematic consumption, gender, and age were taken into account to establish risk groups. Of 1,472 participants between 18-54 years (M = 27.51), 8.01% reported using cannabis before and/or during lockdown (56.6% male). The Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) was used to detect cannabis abuse. The main form of consumption was spliffs (89.9%). The mean of spliffs consumed per day decreased during lockdown, but was only significant in male and in the 18-24 group. This decrease was also significant for all three levels of CAST problematic use. Users with moderate addiction and dependence reduced their average number of spliffs consumed per day during lockdown to a greater extent than those without addiction. These findings establish target groups of prevention interventions in the university.

[Effects of cannabis use on attention and memory in adolescent population: a systematic review.]

OBJECTIVE

Cannabis is an illegal drug whose use has increased in recent years, especially among adolescents. Despite its popularity, its use and abuse brings with it health consequences, being greater if consumption occurs in the adolescent stage, since the brain is in full development. The objective of this systematic review was to determine the effects of cannabis use on cognitive functions of attention and memory in adolescent population.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature was carried out in the main search portals (Pubmed, Web of Science, SciELO, Cochrane) referring to the last 10 years, following the PRISMA criteria. The systematic search strategy was carried out in the period from March to May 2021, applying the PICO method and the PEDro scale to guarantee the methodological quality of the included studies.

RESULTS

Both attention and memory are affected by cannabis use; however, memory functions improve with abstinence, not being so for attention. Memory deficits are an indicator of therapeutic abandonment of addiction treatment. In relation to psychosocial interventions aimed at improving memory, the contingency management, educational interventions and motivational interviewing have not been shown to be effective on the effects of substances. Working memory training offers positive results, although not clinically significant. Finally, memory deficits are an indicator of therapeutic abandonment of pharmacological treatment for cannabis addiction. Therefore, research is needed aimed both at reducing the side effects of drugs on memory processes and at establishing to what extent memory deficits associated with cannabis use can facilitate therapeutic abandonment.

CONCLUSIONS

More research is necessary, considering the dual consumption of cannabis-tobacco and the effects that both substances may have jointly and separately on attention and memory processes.

Captura corporativa, fake news procannabis y posición de los consumidores ante su regulación

RESUMEN

Introducción. La captura corporativa es el proceso en el que las decisiones políticas responden a un interés particular de carácter privado, en detrimento del interés público. La industria del cannabis ha desarrollado estrategias de captura de políticas y de difusión de fake news (noticias falsas) con el objeto de fomentar una visión del cannabis como sustancia inocua e, incluso, sanadora de enfermedades, promoviendo así una buena imagen de esta sustancia, de las corporaciones y consumidores, presionando para su legalización.

OBJETIVOS

(1) Analizar las estrategias de difusión de mensajes y fake news promotoras del cultivo, consumo y regulación del cannabis a través de distintos canales, y (2) explorar el posicionamiento frente al debate legislativo sobre esta sustancia en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios consumidores de cannabis. Metodología. (1) Estudio de carácter exploratorio para identificar y analizar las estrategias de la industria y, (2) estudio no probabilístico con muestreo por conveniencia mediante encuesta telemática difundida entre estudiantes de 11 universidades españolas (439 participantes). Resultados y conclusiones. La promoción del cultivo y del consumo de cannabis, relativizando sus efectos perjudiciales y presentándolo como una sustancia medicinal, aparece en las distintas estrategias utilizadas por la industria para difundir una imagen positiva del cannabis y de los consumidores. Estos mensajes tienen correspondencia con el posicionamiento de los consumidores, de los que el 82.6 % apoya alguna forma de regulación del cannabis.