European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Background: Cannabis is the generic word for all psychoactive preparations of the Cannabis sativa plant. Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive component in cannabis. Cannabis is one of the most often used illegal substances in the world. Cannabis is the fourth most prevalent psychoactive substance in the world, behind coffee, nicotine, and alcohol, with an estimated 200 to 300 million regular users. Objectives: 1. To evaluate sociodemographic profile among persons abusing cannabis. 2. To evaluate problematic domains among persons abusing cannabis. 3. To evaluate withdrawal symptoms among persons who abstain from cannabis. 4. To estimate the distribution of psychiatric comorbidity among persons abusing cannabis. 5. To estimate sociodemographic variables and psychosocial attributes between adolescent and adult-onset of cannabis use. Material & Methods:Study Design:  Hospital based prospective cross-sectional study. Study area:Manasa Psychiatry Hospital, Secunderbad, Telangana. Study Period: August 2022 – August 2023. Study population:  Participants were patients diagnosed with cannabis use disorders who came to the Psychiatry Department. Sample size: Study consisted a total of 40 subjects.  Sampling Technique: Convenience sampling. Study tools and Data collection procedure: After obtaining the written consent from the participants as required by the international ethics committee the following questionnaire was given to all subjects 1. Semi-structured proforma 2. Marijuana problem scale 3. The Cannabis withdrawal scale 4. MINI PLUS structured clinical interview. Results: In our study, those who seek cannabis-related problems were predominantly male i.e. 100%. No females registered for cannabis-related problems during our study period. 75% of people were below 10th standard. 80% of individuals with CUDs were unmarried. 30% were unemployed among persons who presented with CUDs. 92.5% of patients belong to low socioeconomic status. 90% of patients belong to Hinduism. 72.5% of patients belong to urban areas. In our study statistically significant difference in marital status and religion i.e., most of the adolescent-onset cannabis users were unmarried and Hindus. But occupation, place, SES there was no significant difference between these 2 groups. Conclusion: Psychiatric comorbidity is widespread in people who are addicted to cannabis, especially those who seek treatment. Cannabis withdrawal symptoms worsen as the length of cannabis addiction grows. The most common associations with cannabis abusers are comorbid other substance use and a family history of substance use. Adolescents who start using cannabis have lower levels of psychosocial characteristics such as impulsivity, drug-using peer relationships, drug availability in the neighbourhood, and skipping school or job than those who start using cannabis in early adulthood.