Will we soon have a new drug to treat cannabis addiction, when there is currently no treatment? Cannabis is today the most consumed illicit drug in France: half of the elderly population claims to have already used it. during their lifetime in 2023, according to data from Public Health France and the French Observatory on Drugs and Addictive Trends (OFDT). Habitual consumption affects 3.4% of adults aged 18 to 64 in 2023, stable since 2017, that is, about 900,000 people.
Although the product is common, the trend is downward among young people, according to an OFDT survey, with 5.3% of 4-year high school students.my and 3my who have tried it in 2022, compared to 6.7% in 2018. On the other hand, the percentage increases with age: 16.2% of second-year students say they have already used it and almost one in three senior students course.
Let us remember that cannabis, generally smoked, in the form of herb or resin (hashish), contains numerous components, including THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), its main active molecule. THC acts on CB1, one of the receptors in the body’s endocannabinoid system, which plays an important role in neurological development. THC binds to and activates CB1 receptors, causing its psychotropic effects, including addictive effects.
In the United States, for the first time, the number of daily and almost daily cannabis users (17.7 million) exceeded that of alcohol (14.7), according to the survey published in the magazine Addictions in May 2024. An increase linked to the legalization of the recreational use of cannabis in almost half of the states in the country, but not only that.
The dangers of early consumption
In France, while the majority of cannabis users consume cannabis recreationally, around 10% become dependent, according to experts, and “This is the case of 50% of daily users according to international data”recalls psychiatrist Jean-Michel Delile, president of the Addiction Federation, “16% of adolescents who have started are at risk of staying” recalled Jean-Michel Delile and the clinical psychologist Jean-Pierre Couteron in the magazine Mental health practices in 2017.
“We are talking about addiction, the risk of which varies from one person to another, when there is a loss of control, with an invasive aspect in the subject’s life, impact on family life, deterioration in school functioning, etc. »adds Professor Benjamin Rolland, head of the addictions department at the University of Lyon (HCL, CH Le Vinatier). However, cannabis is less addictive than tobacco, alcohol or other drugs.
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