Focus Programs on Heavy Marijuana Users, Researchers Say

Most marijuana users use the drug infrequently and are not in need of intervention, according to Canadian researchers who said public-health efforts around marijuana should be directed primarily at those at most risk of problem use, the Vancouver Sun reported June 11.

“We’re arguing for a differentiated approach that recognizes that some people, but only some, a minority, have problems from their cannabis use and we understand now a lot better what their characteristics and determinants are while the large proportion of users are fairly problem free,” said researcher Benedikt Fischer of Simon Fraser University.

Fischer and colleagues based their recommendation on a study of 1,303 Canadian marijuana users, determining that the minority who began using the drug before age 16 and continued with daily or near-daily use were at the most risk of other drug use, impaired driving, or other problems.

The study was published in the International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research.