Cannabis use and related harms in the transition to young adulthood: A longitudinal study of Australian secondary school students

The current study documents the changing rates of cannabis use, misuse and cannabisrelated social harms among Australian adolescents as they grow into young adulthood. It utilised data from a longitudinal study of young people at ages 15, 16, 17, and 19. The rates of cannabis use were found to increase as participants aged; past year use increased from 7.5% at age 15 to 29.8% at age 19. Further, at ages 17 and 19, cannabis use was more prevalent among males than females. Among those who reported cannabis use, the rates of cannabis-related harms were low to moderate, and did not increase with age in the same manner as rates of cannabis use. The most prevalent self-reported cannabis-related harm was anxiety/depression; affecting between 20-30% of the cannabis users at each age. These findings may assist in understanding the extent of cannabis-related problems among youth, and in planning relevant services. (C) 2013 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.