Onset of opportunity to use cannabis and progression from opportunity to dependence: Are influences consistent across transitions?

BACKGROUND: There is a developing body of research looking at cannabis use opportunity, but little research examining timing of opportunity to use cannabis.

AIMS: Identify factors associated with (1) earlier opportunity to use cannabis and (2) faster progression from opportunity to cannabis dependence.

METHOD: Cross-sectional study of 3824 Australian twins and siblings, measuring age of onset of cannabis use opportunity and DSM-IV cannabis dependence. Survival analysis identified factors associated with faster progression to opportunity or dependence.

RESULTS: Factors associated with both speed of progression to opportunity and dependence were conduct disorder (opportunity HR 5.57, 95%CI 1.52-20.47; dependence HR 2.49, 95%CI 1.91-3.25), parental drug problems (opportunity HR 7.29, 95%CI 1.74-30.62; dependence HR 3.30, 95%CI 1.63-6.69), weekly tobacco use (opportunity HR 8.57, 95%CI 3.93-18.68; dependence HR 2.76, 95% CI 2.10-3.64), and female gender (opportunity HR 0.69, 95%CI 0.64-0.75; dependence HR 0.44, 95%CI 0.34-0.55). Frequent childhood religious attendance (HR 0.74, 95%CI 0.68-0.80), parental conflict (HR 1.09, 95%CI 1.00-1.18), parental alcohol problems (HR 1.19, 95%CI 1.08-1.30) and childhood sexual abuse (HR 1.17, 95%CI 1.01-1.34) were uniquely associated with transition to opportunity. Depressive episode (HR 1.44, 95%CI 1.12-1.85), tobacco dependence (HR 1.36, 95%CI 1.04-1.78), alcohol dependence (HR 2.64, 95%CI 1.53-4.58), other drug use (HR 2.10, 95%CI 1.64-2.69) and other drug dependence (HR 2.75, 95%CI 1.70-4.43) were uniquely associated with progression to dependence.

CONCLUSION: The profile of factors associated with opportunity to use cannabis and dependence only partially overlaps, suggesting targeting of interventions may benefit from being tailored to the stages of drug use.