Support Programs for Marijuana and Other Drug Users - Research Paper Example

Support Programs for Marijuana and Other Drug Users 1 Abstract The need to understand the factors which affect cognitive behavior in marijuana and other drug users is important in order to determine the best support program to apply. The operationalization of support program(s) for marijuana and other drug users cannot, since the last twenty years be underemphasized so that measurable quantities required by the scientific method to resolve issues brought out by withdrawal symptoms may be determined. The choice of marijuana users as the subject of most of these studies is because marijuana is still the most widely used and the number one entry level drug. SUPPORT PROGRAMS FOR MARIJUANA AND OTHER DRUG USERS 3 According to Copeland, Frewen and Elkins (2009, p. 7), cannabis users may find peer-support programs helpful. The nature of drug treatment is such that there is a need for the rehabilitated drug user for post treatment support to be assimilated back to mainstream society and shed off his anti-social behavior. A careful evaluation of behavioral treatments such as motivational enhancement therapy (MET), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and contingency management (CM), as well as family-based treatments have shown that cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) has so far been the most efficacious (Copeland, et. al., p. 7). It has since been the cornerstone of most interventions (Budney, Roffman, Stephens, Walker, 2007, p. 7). Endemic or peculiar to a drug user, the psyche of fear commonly referred to as paranoia was best explained or manifested in the hippie culture of the Vietnam-war era which found association with anti-war icons which consisted what was largely referred to as a ‘good trip’ and its direct opposite, pro-war icons which consisted the ‘bad trip.’ The Vietnam–war era also became a convergence for the fusion of earlier cultures spawned by the advocates of a different genre of music –‘rock and roll.’ The most common peer-support groups are Marijuana Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous based on the 12-step program guide of Alcohol Anonymous and Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART) based on CBT principles who teaches group members to: enhance and maintain motivation to abstain; cope with urges; problem-solve (managing thoughts, feelings and behaviors); and balance their lifestyles (balancing momentary and enduring satisfactions) (Copeland, 2009, p.7). SUPPORT PROGRAMS FOR MARIJUANA AND OTHER DRUG USERS 4 A 2002 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA) report, “Initiation of Marijuana Use: Trends, Patterns and Implications”, concludes that the younger children are when they first use marijuana, the more likely they are to use cocaine and heroin and become dependent on drugs as adults. The report found that 62% of adults age 26 or older who initiated marijuana before they were 15 years old reported that they had used cocaine in their lifetime (SAMHSA, 2002, p. 62).” See Figure 6.1 below. According to the Office of the National Drug Control Policy, results of the 2009 Monitoring the Future survey indicate that 15.7% of eighth graders, 32.3% of tenth graders, and 42.0% of twelfth graders reported lifetime use of marijuana (ONDCP, 2009, Para. 5). The said office also said that, in 2008, these percentages were 14.6%, 29.9%, and 42.6%, respectively. See Figure 1 below. SUPPORT PROGRAMS FOR MARIJUANA AND OTHER DRUG USERS 5 The lifetime use of marijuana, according to said agency, has also consistently hovered above 30% in 2005 at 38.4%, in 2007 at 38.1% and in 2009 at 36.8% for students alone (ONDCP, 2009, Para. 7). See Table 1 below.   2005 2007 2009 Current use 20.2% 19.7% 20.8% Lifetime use 38.4 38.1 36.8 Table 1. Current vs Lifetime Use Among Students Reporting Marijuana Use (2005-2009) Furthermore, a US study in the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence found that quitting cannabis can cause withdrawal symptoms as severe as those from quitting tobacco (The Australian, 2008). While no outcome data is available on the SMART program, in an internal evaluation of Sydney participants, more than four out of every five (83%, or 90) respondents indicated that they thought that the program had given them “lots of help” (AER, 2006). Furthermore, the medical use of marijuana makes it imperative to come out with SUPPORT PROGRAMS FOR MARIJUANA AND OTHER DRUG USERS 6 measureable results to differentiate between patients undergoing therapy from abuse of the drug and patients who are undergoing treatment with the use of the drug (Pace, N., Frick, H. C., Sutin, K., Manger, W., Hyman, G. and Nahas, G.l., 1999, p. 767). References Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation (AER). (2006). St Vincent’s Hospital Alcohol and Drug Service Final Report: Smart Recovery. Sydney: AER. Budney, A. J., Roffman, R., Stephens, R. S., Walker, Denise. (2007). Research Review—Marijuana Dependence and Its Treatment: Treatment Efficacy Research. p. 5. Copeland, J., Frewen, A., Elkins, K. (2009). Management of Cannabis Use Disorder and Related Issues - A Clinician’s Guide. National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, p. 27 - 35. Office of the National Drug Policy. (2009). Marijuana Facts and Figures: Extent of Use Percent of Students Reporting Marijuana Use, 2005–2009, Retrieved from http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/marijuana/marijuana_ff.html#go10, para. 5-7. Pace, N., Frick, H. C., Sutin, K., Manger, W., Hyman, G. and Nahas, G.l. (1999) Marihuana and Medicine. Abstract of The Medical Use of Marihuana and TCH in Perspective. P.767. eds. eds. Nahas, G., Sutin, K.M., Harvey, David, J., Agurell, J. Marihuana and Medicine. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration. (2002). Initiation of Marijuana Use: Trends, Patterns and Implications. The Australian. (2008). Marijuana withdrawal rivals nicotine. Retrieved from http://ncpic.org.au/ncpic/media/media-watch/article/marijuana-withdrawal-rivals-nicotine8. Read More