Assessing Need for Marijuana Dependence Treatment Through an Anonymous Telephone Interview

In response to public service announcements directed at adult chronic marijuana users who were concerned about their smoking, 225 individuals were interviewed anonymously by telephone. This study was conducted to determine if a population of chronic dysfunctional marijuana users existed who were both interested in being treated and not concurrently abusing alcohol and/or other psychoactive drugs. Most of the callers (73.8%) were experiencing adverse consequences associated only with marijuana use rather than in combination with other substances. Most (92%) expressed interest in being treated, while very few (18%) had ever been seen in a drug or alcohol treatment program.An anonymous telephone survey of adult marijuana users was conducted in December of 1984 in the Seattle area. Public service announcements in the local media were directed at adult respondents who were concerned about their use of this drug. No incentive was offered in the publicity about the study.The researchers sought to determine whether a population of adult marijuana users existed, the members of which (1) were not currently abusing alcohol or other drugs, (2) were experiencing dysfunctional consequences and/or concerns about their marijuana use, and (3) wanted to participate in a specialized treatment effort designed for overcoming marijuana dependence. A principal objective for acquiring these data was to support a grant proposal resubmission to NIDA in order to fund a treatment outcome study with adult chronic marijuana users. An NIDA IRG panel had responded to an initial submission of the proposal by asking for evidence that the population to be studied did in fact exist as described and could be recruited in sufficient numbers for the investigation.Uncorroborated self-report data acquired through an approach such as this clearly have limitations. But, for the purpose identified in the preceding paragraph other types of information-data available from national probability samples (Johnston et al., 1986; Miller et al., 1983), prospective panel research with regular users (Weller and Halikas, 1980), and data collected from emergency rooms (Drug Abuse Warning Network, 1985) or drug treatment agencies-are also understandably limited in their capacity to illuminate a phenomenon that eludes complete description.Regional trends in drug-taking behavior can be described through periodic efforts to study the untreated, noninstitutionalized user recruited via the media. A recent example in the New York Metropolitan Area is presented by Hendin et al. (1986).