Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24204649›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2013

The global epidemiology and contribution of cannabis use and dependence to the global burden of disease: results from the GBD 2010 study.

Louisa Degenhardt, Alize J Ferrari, Bianca Calabria, Wayne D Hall, Rosana E Norman, John McGrath, Abraham D Flaxman, Rebecca E Engell, Greg D Freedman, Harvey A Whiteford and 1 more

Erratum issuedOpen access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 115 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
115citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

115 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.

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  16. Article
  17. Serum Zonulin Levels in Patients with Heroin Addiction.Sisli Etfal Hastanesi tip bulteni · 2026
    Article
  18. Review
  19. The impact of cannabinoids on reproductive function.Reproduction (Cambridge, England) · 2025
    Review
  20. Article

55 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.

Louisa DegenhardtNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia ; Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Alize J Ferrari
Bianca Calabria
Wayne D Hall
Rosana E Norman
John McGrath
Abraham D Flaxman
Rebecca E Engell
Greg D Freedman
Harvey A Whiteford
Theo Vos
University of Washington · USQueensland Centre for Mental Health Research · AUUniversity of Queensland · AUUNSW Sydney · AUInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation · USQueensland Children’s Medical Research Institute · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsEstimate the prevalence of cannabis dependence and its contribution to the global burden of disease.

methodsSystematic reviews of epidemiological data on cannabis dependence (1990-2008) were conducted in line with PRISMA and meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. Culling and data extraction followed protocols, with cross-checking and consistency checks. DisMod-MR, the latest version of generic disease modelling system, redesigned as a Bayesian meta-regression tool, imputed prevalence by age, year and sex for 187 countries and 21 regions. The disability weight associated with cannabis dependence was estimated through population surveys and multiplied by prevalence data to calculate the years of life lived with disability (YLDs) and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). YLDs and DALYs attributed to regular cannabis use as a risk factor for schizophrenia were also estimated.

resultsThere were an estimated 13.1 million cannabis dependent people globally in 2010 (point prevalence0.19% (95% uncertainty: 0.17-0.21%)). Prevalence peaked between 20-24 yrs, was higher in males (0.23% (0.2-0.27%)) than females (0.14% (0.12-0.16%)) and in high income regions. Cannabis dependence accounted for 2 million DALYs globally (0.08%; 0.05-0.12%) in 2010; a 22% increase in crude DALYs since 1990 largely due to population growth. Countries with statistically higher age-standardised DALY rates included the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Western European countries such as the United Kingdom; those with lower DALY rates were from Sub-Saharan Africa-West and Latin America. Regular cannabis use as a risk factor for schizophrenia accounted for an estimated 7,000 DALYs globally.

conclusionCannabis dependence is a disorder primarily experienced by young adults, especially in higher income countries. It has not been shown to increase mortality as opioid and other forms of illicit drug dependence do. Our estimates suggest that cannabis use as a risk factor for schizophrenia is not a major contributor to population-level disease burden.

Indexed as

Age FactorsCannabisComorbidityFemaleGeography, MedicalGlobal HealthHumansMaleMarijuana AbusePersons with DisabilitiesPrevalenceRisk FactorsSchizophreniaSex Factors

Identifiers

PMID24204649
PMCPMC3811989
OpenAlexW1757260719

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.