Browsing by Subject "Cannabis"

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    Open Access
    A research report to meet the requirements of the master of medicine in psychiatry at the University of Cape Town
    (2025) Swartz, Michelle; Dannatt, Lisa
    Background: Cannabis is the most widely used substance worldwide and its use is much higher amongst adolescents. However, adolescents are at higher risk of negative sequelae secondary to this use, including poorer developmental outcomes and the possible development of mental disorders. On 31 March 2017, the South African High Court ruled that cannabis use by an adult in a private dwelling should be decriminalized. Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the clinical profile of adolescents who use cannabis, that present to a tertiary hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, before and after the high court ruling in 2017. Setting The study was conducted reviewing folders of adolescents admitted at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH) in the Emergency Psychiatric Unit, Ward C23 in Cape Town, South Africa. Methods: This study was a retrospective folder review of adolescents admitted from April 2015 to March 2019. Results:The study included 266 participants and the total number of adolescents using cannabis admitted during the study period was 116. Cannabis use was the most commonly used substance in the study, with increased use seen post-ruling (n = 75; 65%). The most common frequency of cannabis use reported was daily use (n = 43; 57%). When comparing psychiatric diagnoses between cannabis users and non-cannabis users, a significantly higher proportion of patients who used cannabis pre-ruling had psychotic disorder (p < 0.001) and substance use disorder (p = 0.01). Post–ruling, the significance was p < 0.001 for psychotic and substance use disorders. The most common DSM-5 diagnoses in cannabis users pre-ruling were psychotic disorders (n = 27; 65.9%); post-ruling, it was psychotic disorders (n =36; 48%) and trauma and stressor-related disorders (n = 31; 41.3%). Conclusion: The study showed an increasing prevalence of cannabis use in adolescents admitted with mental illness after the high court ruling in 2017. This study also demonstrates that adolescents remain a vulnerable population to the effects of cannabis. This highlights the need for more focused adolescent interventions and services.
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    Open Access
    A prospective study of methamphetamine use as a predictor of high school non-attendance in Cape Town, South Africa
    (BioMed Central Ltd, 2010) Plüddemann, Andreas; Flisher, Alan J; McKetin, Rebecca; Parry, Charles D; Lombard, Carl J
    BACKGROUND: This prospective study investigated the association between life-long methamphetamine and other drug use and high school non-attendance, in a sample of high school students in Cape Town, South Africa. METHODS: A random sample of 1535 high school students completed a baseline questionnaire in 2006, and were asked to complete a follow-up questionnaire 12 months later. The questionnaire included questions on substance use, including tobacco, alcohol, methamphetamine and cannabis use, demographic factors, and questions relating to school attendance and performance. RESULTS: Forty-three percent of the students surveyed at baseline did not complete a follow-up questionnaire after 12 months. Compared with students who were not using selected substances, an adjusted logistic regression model showed that life-time methamphetamine use in addition to other substances was significantly associated with non-attendance (OR = 2.58, 95% CI: 1.24 - 5.36) when other non-substance use factors (repeating a year at school and being older than the norm for current grade) were taken into account. CONCLUSIONS: Early identification of students with methamphetamine and other substance use problems, and a supportive rather than punitive school policy, may be valuable in improving high school completion and student retention rates.
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    Open Access
    Toward a global view of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and cocaine use: findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys
    (Public Library of Science, 2008) Degenhardt, Louisa; Chiu, Wai-Tat; Sampson, Nancy; Kessler, Ronald C; Anthony, James C; Angermeyer, Matthias; Bruffaerts, Ronny; Girolamo, Giovanni de; Gureje, Oye; Huang, Yueqin
    Louisa Degenhardt and colleagues report an international survey of 17 countries that finds clear differences in drug use across different regions of the world.
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    Open Access
    Toward the identification of a phytocannabinoid-like compound in the flowers of a South African medicinal plant (Leonotis leonurus)
    (2020-11-10) Hunter, E; Stander, M; Kossmann, J; Chakraborty, S; Prince, S; Peters, S; Loedolff, Bianke
    Abstract Objective Current global trends on natural therapeutics suggest an increasing market interest toward the use and discovery of new plant-derived therapeutic compounds, often referred to as traditional medicine (TM). The Cannabis industry is currently one such focal area receiving attention, owing to the occurrence of phytocannabinoids (pCBs) which have shown promise in health-promotion and disease prevention. However, the occurrence of pCBs in other plant species are often overlooked and rarely studied. Leonotis leonurus (L.) R. Br. is endemic to South Africa with a rich history of use in TM practices amongst indigenous people and, has been recorded to induce mild psychoactive effects akin to Cannabis. While the leaves have been well-reported to contain therapeutic phytochemicals, little information exists on the flowers. Consequently, as part of a larger research venture, we targeted the flowers of L. leonurus for the identification of potential pCB or pCB-like compounds. Results Flower extracts were separated and analyzed using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). A single pCB candidate was isolated from HPTLC plates and, using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), we could successfully group this compound as a fatty amide and tentatively identified as 7,10,13,16-Docosatetraenoylethanolamine (adrenoyl-EA), a known bioactive compound.