A new study has found that marijuana use among adults in the U.S. has doubled from 2001 to 2013, and marijuana use disorders have also increased, according to CBS News.
Researchers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism analyzed the data collected from 43,093 study participants between 2001 and 2002 and 36,309 participants between 2012 to 2013. They found that marijuana use rose from four percent to 10 percent, and marijuana use disorder or abuse increased from 1.5 percent to 3 percent from 2001 to 2013.
The researchers said that the increase in marijuana use was most observed in women, black or Hispanic individuals, people from ages 45 to 64, those who are from the South and those who had the lowest incomes.
The researchers also noted that three out of 10 pot users from 2012 to 2013 ended up with marijuana use disorder. However, marijuana use disorder among existing marijuana users went down by 15 percent. This indicates that the increase in marijuana abuse from 2001 to 2013 could be attributed to the rise of marijuana users.
"What was quite clear is the prevalence of use among adults had more than doubled," lead study author Deborah Hasin from Columbia University in New York told Reuters.
Hasin said that the rise in marijuana use shows that more adults are at risk for pot dependence and other pot-related health problems. She said that the study results support previous studies showing how marijuana use has led to an increase in "cannabis-related emergency room visits and fatal vehicle crashes," CBS News reported.
There are now 23 states that allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and there are four states where recreational marijuana is legal. The views of Americans on pot use has also changed; fewer people see marijuana as a health threat, possibly because of its legalization in some areas. Yet, the researchers noted, there is little knowledge about how marijuana use and marijuana use disorders have changed in the past decade.
"Given changing laws and attitudes toward marijuana, a balanced presentation of the likelihood of adverse consequences of marijuana use to policy makers, professionals, and the public is needed," the researchers wrote.
Hasin remarked that increasing pot use will expectedly lead to increasing pot abuse, adding that "people should consider this information when they're making choices about using marijuana, and the public should consider the information as they consider legalization," Reuters reported.
The study was published Oct. 21 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.
