Cannabis Addiction and the Brain: a Review
Summary & key facts
Researchers reviewed past studies to see how cannabis use can lead to addiction. They used a simple three-stage brain model that says repeated drug use changes the brain and keeps the person trapped in a cycle of using. The reviewers found that cannabis fits this three-stage pattern in ways similar to other addictive drugs, but with some small differences. They also said more research in people is urgently needed to pin down the specific brain changes behind cannabis use disorder.
- Cannabis is the most commonly used drug in the United States after alcohol and tobacco.
- Rates of cannabis use disorder, which means having problems from cannabis use, have been increasing while people say they see less risk in using cannabis.
- The reviewers used a three-stage model of addiction that describes how repeated use changes the brain and keeps the cycle of addiction going.
- Existing research shows that cannabis-related problems fit this three-stage brain model in ways similar to other drugs, although there are some small differences.
- The authors call for more human studies to clearly identify the exact brain changes linked to cannabis use disorder, because current evidence is not complete.
Abstract
Cannabis is the most commonly used substance of abuse in the United States after alcohol and tobacco. With a recent increase in the rates of cannabis use disorder (CUD) and a decrease in the perceived risk of cannabis use, it is imperative to assess the addictive potential of cannabis. Here we evaluate cannabis use through the neurobiological model of addiction proposed by Koob and Volkow. The model proposes that repeated substance abuse drives neurobiological changes in the brain that can be separated into three distinct stages, each of which perpetuates the cycle of addiction. Here we review previous research on the acute and long-term effects of cannabis use on the brain and behavior, and find that the three-stage framework of addiction applies to CUD in a manner similar to other drugs of abuse, albeit with some slight differences. These findings highlight the urgent need to conduct research that elucidates specific neurobiological changes associated with CUD in humans.
