Investigating the Prevalence of Substance Abuse Among Students of Medical Science Universities in the Eighth Macro-region of Iran

Background: The growing trend of substance abuse among students is a serious threat for the health of young adults. Using Network Scale-up (NSU) method Objectives: The present study was designed to indirectly estimate the prevalence of substance abuse among students of medical science universities in the eighth macro-region of Iran to attract government attention to this problem. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 3,900 students from medical science universities in the eighth macro-region of Iran (2300 from Kerman and 1600 from Sistan and Baluchestan provinces) in 2019. The sample size of each university was determined using a multistage non-random sampling approach. The participants were asked to introduce their academic close friends who did high-risk behaviors during last year. Results: Out of 3,900 participants, 1,872 (48%) were males and 2,028 (52%) were females. Students from all academic degrees contributed to this study. The prevalence of alcohol, marijuana, hemp, chewing tobacco, tramadol, methylphenidate, and opium abuse were 20.6% (95% CI: 19.3 - 21.9), 13.5% (CI: 12.4 - 14.5), 4.1% (CI: 3.5 - 4.7), 6.3% (CI: 5.5 - 7.1), 3.1% (CI: 2.6 - 3.7), 6.5% (CI: 5.7 - 7.3), and 4.0% (CI: 3.1 - 4.9), respectively. Also, the prevalence of substance abuse was higher among male students than females. Conclusions: Male students are more at risk for substance abuse. The rates of alcohol and marijuana consumption were higher among students. Training programs are recommended to increase awareness level of young people and the society about disadvantages of these behaviors.

Potential Mechanisms Underlying Marijuana-Associated Periodontal Tissue Destruction

While definitive evidence awaits, cannabis is emerging as a likely risk factor for periodontal tissue destruction. The mechanisms that underlie potential cannabis-induced or cannabis-enhanced periodontal diseases, however, remain to be elucidated. Herein, we 1) examine insights obtained from the endocannabinoid system, 2) summarize animal models of exposure to cannabinoid receptor agonists and antagonists, 3) review the evidence suggesting that cannabis and cannabis-derived molecules exert a profound influence on components of the oral microbiome, and 4) assess studies indicating that marijuana and phytocannabinoids compromise the immune response to plaque. Furthermore, we address how knowledge of cannabinoid influences in the oral cavity may be exploited to provide potential novel periodontal therapeutics, while recognizing that such medicinal approaches may be most appropriate for nonhabitual marijuana users. The suspected increase in susceptibility to periodontitis in marijuana users is multifaceted, and it is clear that we are only beginning to understand the complex toxicological, cellular, and microbial interactions involved. With marijuana consumption increasing across all societal demographics, periodontal complications of use may represent a significant, growing oral health concern. In preparation, an enhanced research response would seem appropriate.

Evaluación de activación conductual en universitarios que consumen mariguana: estudio piloto

Introduction: In Mexico, marijuana consumption has increased in adults and university students, triggering problems in attention, concentration, anxiety, depression, dependence, and cardio-respiratory difficulties. Psychological interventions like brief motivational treatment (BMT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) have reported some difficulties such as a low and medium effect size, decreased consumption without reaching abstinence, and heterogeneity in the use of both cognitive and behavioral techniques. The use of behavioral techniques in Behavioral Activation has reported effectiveness in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and recently in alcohol and tobacco. Objective: to evaluate the effect size of a Behavioral Activation treatment in abstinence of marijuana (BA-M) measured in units, occasions, and quantity of consumption. Method: in a sample of university students (n = 8), the intervention of behavioral activation was applied, which includes functional analysis, planning and goal setting, contingency management, skills training, and relapse prevention. It was carried out a multielement single case design with eight replications, calculating the effect size through the non-overlapping index of all pairs. Results: high effect size was obtained in the consumption pattern, ranging between 91.10% and 100%, 5 university students achieved abstinence. Discussion and conclusions: treatment in BA-M obtained a high effect size in abstinence and a decrease in marijuana abuse these results are similar to those reported in alcohol and tobacco.

Association of socioeconomic and environmental factors with the spatio-temporal variability of suicide rates along a latitudinal gradient

Aims: Suicide results from complex interactions between biological, psychological, and socioeconomic factors. At the population level, the study of suicide rates and their environmental and social determinants allows us to disentangle some of these complexities and provides support for policy design and preventive actions. In this study we aim to evaluate the associations between environmental and socioeconomic factors and demographically stratified suicide rates on large temporal and spatial scales. Methods: The dataset contains information about yearly suicides rates by sex and age from 2000 through 2017 along a 4,000 km latitudinal gradient. We used zero-inflated negative binomial models to evaluate the spatio-temporal influence of each environmental and socioeconomic variable on suicide rates at each sex/age combination. Results: Overall, we found differential patterns of associations between suicide rates and explanatory variables by age and sex. Suicide rates in men increases in middle and high latitude regions and intermediate age classes. For adolescent and adult women, we found a similar pattern with an increase in suicide rates at middle and high latitudes. Sex differences measured by the male/female suicide rate ratio shows a marked increase with age. We found that cloudiness has a positive effect on suicide rates in both men and women 24 years old or younger. Regional poverty shows a major impact on men in age classes above 35 years old, an effect that was absent in women. Alcohol and marijuana consumption showed no significant effect sizes. Conclusions: Our findings support high spatio-temporal variability in suicide rates in interaction with extrinsic factors. Several strong differential impacts of environmental and socioeconomic variables on suicide rates depending on sex and age were detected. These results suggest that the design of public policies and interventions to mitigate the impact of the studied variables need to consider the local social and environmental contexts of target populations.

Relationship between Everyday Discrimination and Substance Use among Adolescents in Northern Chile

Substance use is a public health problem that affects the normal physical, neurological, and psychological development of adolescents. Apparently, discrimination is an important variable for explaining the initiation and continued use of alcohol and marijuana. Since most research focused on discrimination based on factors, such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender faced by minority groups, studies on discrimination faced by the general population remain scarce. This cross-sectional study described the relationship between everyday discrimination and alcohol and marijuana use-related behaviors among Chilean adolescents. It included 2330 students between 12 and 20 years of age from educational establishments in the city of Arica. To evaluate substance use, specifically alcohol and marijuana, the Child and Adolescent Evaluation System (SENA) was used. The Everyday Discrimination scale was used to evaluate discrimination. Age and everyday discrimination can predict up to 11% of the variance in substance use. Reducing the incidence of everyday discrimination may help reduce heavy alcohol and marijuana consumption among adolescents.

Adaptación y modificación del programa preventivo del consumo de drogas “Tú Decides”

Introduction: alcohol and marijuana are the most widely used drugs nowadays and their consumption occurs mainly during adolescence. In Mexico, different drug use prevention programs have been developed, one of them is the “Tú Decides” program, by Rodriguez et al. (2011). This program was carried out under the framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991); it consists of five sessions of 50 minutes each and its objective is to reduce the experimental use of illicit drugs and the consumption of alcohol and tobacco. The program was applied to a vulnerable population in the center of the country, where it had a moderate effect on perceived behavioral control and drug use intention. Objective: to describe the stages of adaptation and extension of the theoretical basis of the intervention “Tú Decides”, focusing it on the prevention of alcohol and/or marijuana consumption in adolescents in northeastern Mexico.Method: to carry out this adaptation and modification process, the adaptation model of Barrera and Castro (2006) was taken as a basis. Results: the preliminary adaptation and modification were well accepted and successfully evaluated by the adolescents. Conclusions: the adapted intervention was named “Tú Decides +”. It is composed of four sessions from the original intervention, a self-efficacy session, and three emotional intelligence sessions, which give a total of 8 sessions of 45 minutes; it aims to reduce the intention to consume and the consumption of alcohol and/or marijuana. It is expected that by adapting and modifying to the needs of the specific population, more effective and lasting results will be obtained

Do Medical Marijuana Laws Increase Hard-Drug Use?

Medical marijuana laws generate significant debate regarding drug policy. For instance, if marijuana is a complement to hard drugs, then these laws would increase the usage not only of marijuana but also of hard drugs. In this paper I study empirically the effects of medical marijuana laws by analyzing data on drug arrests and treatment admissions. I find that medical marijuana laws increase these proxies for marijuana consumption by around 10–15 percent. However, there is no evidence that cocaine and heroin usage increases. From the arrest data, the estimates indicate a 0–15 percent decrease in possession arrests for cocaine and heroin combined. From the treatment data, the estimates show a 20 percent decrease in admissions for heroin-related treatment, although there is no significant effect for cocaine-related treatment. These results suggest that marijuana may be a substitute for heroin, but it is not strongly correlated with cocaine. © 2015 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.

Do Medical Marijuana Laws Increase Hard-Drug Use?

Medical marijuana laws generate significant debate regarding drug policy. For instance, if marijuana is a complement to hard drugs, then these laws would increase the usage not only of marijuana but also of hard drugs. In this paper I study empirically the effects of medical marijuana laws by analyzing data on drug arrests and treatment admissions. I find that medical marijuana laws increase these proxies for marijuana consumption by around 10–15 percent. However, there is no evidence that cocaine and heroin usage increases. From the arrest data, the estimates indicate a 0–15 percent decrease in possession arrests for cocaine and heroin combined. From the treatment data, the estimates show a 20 percent decrease in admissions for heroin-related treatment, although there is no significant effect for cocaine-related treatment. These results suggest that marijuana may be a substitute for heroin, but it is not strongly correlated with cocaine. © 2015 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.