General practice & primary care · UKMLA & AKT
Cannabis use disorder
A free high-yield preview for the UKMLA Applied Knowledge Test, covering how to recognise this condition. The full SA Note notes add investigations, management and complications, with practice questions on this topic.
Key high-yield points
- Most used illegal drug in England and Wales - ~7.4% adults, 16.2% of 16-24 year olds report past-year use
- ~9% of all users develop dependence; rises to ~17% in daily users and ~50% in those starting in adolescence
- Principal psychoactive compound: delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - partial agonist at CB1/CB2 receptors; activates mesolimbic dopamine pathway → reward and dependence
- High-potency 'skunk' (THC >15%) has very low CBD content - removes CBD's partial antipsychotic protection, significantly increasing psychosis risk
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