Cannabis use, perceived problems and the contemplation of reducing or quitting: a cross-sectional survey for vocational students

ABSTRACT

Objective

To assess problematic cannabis use, perceived cannabis-related problems and contemplation of reducing or quitting the use among vocational students and associations between perceived problems and contemplation of reducing or quitting cannabis use.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey among Finnish vocational school students (N = 1,855) using the Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test-Revised.

Results

Of those who reported cannabis use (n = 375), 20.5% (n = 77) reported problematic use. The most perceived problems were memory or concentration problems (n = 151, 39.1%), devoting a great deal of time to use (n = 144, 37.4%), and failing to do what was normally expected (n = 106, 27.5%). One third (35.4%, n = 136) had contemplated reducing or quitting the use, especially among those who reported an inability to stop using (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 5.57; CI95: 2.48–13.16).

Conclusions

The perceived problems related to cannabis-use are such that may affect to academic success, employment and general life management. It is imperative to screen and implement low-threshold cannabis interventions in student health care. A third of students who used cannabis had contemplated quitting or reducing use, which provides an opportunity for brief supporting interventions.

KEYWORDS:

• Cannabis
• vocational school
• students
• cross-sectional
• survey

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14659891.2024.2356572.

Author contributions

JL, MS and KM designed the study. JL wrote the first manuscript. MP conducted statistical analyses. MS, SN, CS, NT, KK and KM edited the manuscript and provided critical feedback. All authors contributed to and approved the final manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects (Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity, 2012; WMA Declaration of Helsinki, 2013) were followed, and the anonymity and the rights of the participants were respected. The participants gave their informed consent by completing the survey. Ethical approval was granted by the Ethics Committee for Human Sciences at University of Turku (22/2020) and study permission was requested from each school.

Data availability statement

The data is not publicly available due to privacy and ethical restrictions. The aggregated data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [JL], upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this research were provided by Juho Vainio Foundation, State Research Funding and The Finnish Foundation for Alcohol Studies.