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Updated: Jun 23, 2026
07:51
Administration of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in Adolescent and Adult Mice
Published on: August 1, 2025
Relief-oriented use of marijuana by teens
Joan L Bottorff1, Joy L Johnson, Barbara M Moffat
1Centre for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention, University of British Columbia Okanagan, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada. joan.bottorff@ubc.ca
Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy
|April 25, 2009
Summary
Adolescents use marijuana therapeutically for physical and psychological relief when other treatments fail. They believe their use is controlled and not excessive, despite potential risks.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent health
- Cannabis research
- Medical ethnography
Background:
- Growing use of marijuana for medical conditions, both physical and psychological.
- Adolescents increasingly seek marijuana for symptom alleviation.
- Study explores health concerns driving therapeutic marijuana use in teens.
Purpose of the Study:
- Describe health issues prompting therapeutic marijuana use in adolescents.
- Understand teens' beliefs about risks and benefits of medical marijuana.
- Investigate adolescent self-medication with cannabis.
Main Methods:
- Ethnographic study of 63 adolescent marijuana users.
- Analysis of interviews with 20 self-identified therapeutic users.
- Qualitative thematic analysis of adolescent experiences.
Main Results:
- Teens differentiate therapeutic from recreational use, citing lack of alternatives.
- Sophisticated self-titration of marijuana intake reported.
- Relief sought for depression, anxiety, stress, sleep issues, concentration, and pain.
Conclusions:
- Marijuana perceived as a last resort for adolescents with unmet health needs.
- Medical treatments failed or were inaccessible for these teens.
- Teens minimize risks, viewing their use as normalized.
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