Cannabis Criteria

many as 48 states. According to Roger Roth-man a professor at University of Washington who has done extensive study on cannabis use that the dependence based criteria in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders which was published in 1987 had at least 7 criteria’s for the diagnosis of dependence and at least 3 criteria’s are experienced in a 1 month period are:

• The substance was taken in larger amounts or over a longer period of time than ones has intended

• A persistent desire or one or more efforts that are unsuccessful to cut down or control the substance use

• A significant amount of time in getting the substance, taking the substance, and actually recovering from it

• Having frequent intoxications

or withdrawal symptoms when expected to fulfill obligations at work, school and home
• Important, occupational, social, and recreational activities reduced or given up because of substance use
• Despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent social, psychological or having physical problems that is caused or exacerbated by the continus use of the substance
• Need for increased amounts of the substance in order to achieve intoxication or the desired effect.

Many are critical of the criteria because it’s viewed as a mental disorder and it was made when marijuana was illegal in 50 states. Now the DSM is in its fifth edition and have shifted in its terminology from dependence to ‘cannabis use disorder’and is now defined as a problematic pattern of cannabis use and has manifested by at least two of the 11 criteria which occurs in a 12 month period are:

• Using more and for longer periods than intended

• A great desire to cut back

• A lot of time using the substance

• Having a stronger craving for its

use
• The use contributes to failures at home, school and work
• Having continous uses despite re-occurant interpersonal and social problems in relation to its use
• Use leading to giving up or reducing important social, occupational or recreational activities
• Recurrent use in hazardous situations
• Continous use despite recurrent psychological and physical problems related to its use
• Tolerance
• Withdrawal
The 2013, DSM-5 has included the term Cannabis withdrawal while replacing the categories of abuse and dependence with substance use disorder’s as mild, moderate, and severe.

It has been frequently reported that experienced marijuana smokers tend to become intoxicated more quickly and to a greater extent than most inexperienced smokers, when they are exposed to marijuana joints with equivalent THC concentrations (Levinthal, 2012). For many years, this observation has suggested that repeated administrations of marijuana have produced sensitization, or reverse tolerance a lesser sensitivity (Levinthal, 2012). In a study, abstinence from smoking marijuana cigarettes with an approximately 2% to 3% THC levels or equivalent oral doses of THC, that’s administered four times a day over a four day period, has resulted in feelings of irritability, stomach pain, anxiety and loss of appetite that began within forty-eight hours and lasted about 2 days after withdrawal (Levinthal, 2012). There are 4 main ideas that can be associated with relapse prevention on why people seek treatment (Melemis, S.M.,

2015).
• A need for a gradual process with distinct stages the goal of treatment is to help individuals recognize the early stages in which one has a greater chance for success
• having a recovery process with a personal growth and developmental milestones
• having the main tools of relapse prevention are cognitive therapy and mind relaxation which can change the negative thinking and develop healthy coping skills
• helping educate clients on basic rules and help them to focus on what’s important
The recovery and treatment process is personal growth in which each stage has its own relapse and developmental task to reach the next stage and not the same length of time for each person (Melemis, S.M, 2015).
• Abstinence stage: immediately after a person stops using and last 1 to 2 years
• Post-acute withdrawal: deals with psychological and emotional symptoms and last up to 2 years, unlike acute withdrawal focuses on the physical symptoms
• Repair stage: to repair the damage caused by the addiction and usually last 2 to 3 years
• Growth stage: developing skills that individuals may have never learned and predisposed them to addiction which usually last 3 to 5 years after the individual stops using the drug and is on a lifetime path.