Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25939318›Full record

SynthesisDeutsches Arzteblatt international2015

Risks associated with the non-medicinal use of cannabis.

Eva Hoch, Udo Bonnet, Rainer Thomasius, Florian Ganzer, Ursula Havemann-Reinecke, Ulrich W Preuss

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
48citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

48 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Cannabinoids for fibromyalgia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016
    Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. [Effectiveness of a cannabis prevention program in school: results of a randomized prospective study].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2024
    Trial
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Cannabis-Associated Emergencies in the Emergency Department.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2025
    Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Eva HochDepartment of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatic Medicine, Evangelisches Krankenhaus Castrop-Rauxel, Teaching Hospital of the University of Duisburg/Essen, German Center for Addiction Research in Childhood and Adolescence (DZSKJ), University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Göttingen and DFG Research Center and Cluster of Excellence Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CNMPB) of the University Medical Center Göttingen, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatic Medicine, Kreiskrankenhaus Prignitz, Perleberg; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatic Medicine, Martin-Luther- University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale).
Udo Bonnet
Rainer Thomasius
Florian Ganzer
Ursula Havemann-Reinecke
Ulrich W Preuss

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCannabis is the most commonly consumed illicit drug around the world; in Germany, about 4.5% of all adults use it each year. Intense cannabis use is associated with health risks. Evidence-based treatments are available for health problems caused by cannabis use.

methodsSelective literature review based on a search of the PubMed database, with special emphasis on systematic reviews, meta-analyses, cohort studies, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), case-control studies, and treatment guidelines.

resultsThe delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol content of cannabis products is rising around the world as a result of plant breeding, while cannabidiol, in contrast, is often no longer detectable. Various medical conditions can arise acutely after cannabis use, depending on the user's age, dose, frequency, mode and situation of use, and individual disposition; these include panic attacks, psychotic symptoms, deficient attention, impaired concentration, motor incoordination, and nausea. In particular, intense use of high doses of cannabis over many years, and the initiation of cannabis use in adolescence, can be associated with substance dependence (DSM-5; ICD-10), specific withdrawal symptoms, cognitive impairment, affective disorders, psychosis, anxiety disorders, and physical disease outside the brain (mainly respiratory and cardiovascular conditions). At present, the most effective way to treat cannabis dependence involves a combination of motivational encouragement, cognitive behavioral therapy, and contingency management (level 1a evidence). For adolescents, family therapy is also recommended (level 1a evidence). No pharmacological treatments can be recommended to date, as evidence for their efficacy is lacking.

conclusionFurther research is needed to elucidate the causal relationships between intense cannabis use and potential damage to physical and mental health. Health problems due to cannabis use can be effectively treated.

Indexed as

AnxietyCausalityCognition DisordersCognitive Behavioral TherapyComorbidityFamily TherapyHumansIllicit DrugsIncidenceMarijuana AbuseRisk AssessmentTreatment OutcomeIllicit Drugs

Identifiers

PMID25939318
PMCPMC4442549

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.