{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nCannabis use is common among adolescents and young adults, yet motives, especially self-medication, remain poorly understood in non-legalized contexts. This study explored differences among recreational, self-medicated, and dual (recreational + self-medicated) cannabis users in sociodemographic, substance use, and mental health characteristics within a large Spanish sample of adolescents and young adults.Methods\n\nData were collected from 1,078 participants aged 16-30 who reported past-year cannabis use. Based on motives, users were categorized into three groups. Validated measures assessed cannabis use severity, concurrent substance involvement, nicotine dependence, alcohol-related consequences, and mental health. Bivariate analyses and multinomial logistic regressions were performed to identify predictors of group membership.Results\n\nDual users comprised most participants (53.2%) and showed the most severe profile, including higher cannabis use frequency, greater scores on the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) and the Brief-Marijuana Consequences Questionnaire (B-MACQ), more tobacco co-use, and poorer mental health. Self-medicated users (8.3%) showed greater nicotine dependence, higher risk for cannabis use disorder, and higher scores on the Reality Distortion subscale of the Oviedo Schizotypy Assessment Questionnaire-Abbreviated (ESQUIZO-Q-A) than recreational users (38.5%). Multinomial logistic regressions identified cannabis-related problems and use frequency as the strongest predictors of dual or self-medicated use.Conclusions\n\nDistinguishing cannabis use motives in adolescents and young adults is crucial, as dual users represent a highly vulnerable subgroup with substance-related and psychological risks. Prevention and intervention efforts should include motive-specific screening, address misconceptions about self-medication, and integrate mental health support, especially amid Spain's evolving cannabis regulations.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Addictive Behaviors Research Group (GCA), Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo, Oviedo, 33003, Spain. secades@uniovi.es.",
    "Addictive Behaviors Research Group (GCA), Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo, Oviedo, 33003, Spain."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Roberto Secades-Villa",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8106-6594"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Sara Weidberg"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Alba González-Roz"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Layla Alemán-Moussa"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Clara Iza-Fernández"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1dt5rsary2s21.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1186/s42238-026-00480-2",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13721289",
  "id": "1dt5rsary2s21",
  "issns": [
    "2522-5782"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958465",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2736|Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7172247851",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13721289?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13721289",
  "pmid": "42958465",
  "published": "2026-08-04",
  "publisher": "BMC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1dt5rsary2s21.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T00:20:47Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42958465",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958465"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-03T12:22:00Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13721289",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-026-00480-2"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2736|Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research",
      "subfield": "pharmacology-toxicology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Recreational versus self-medicated cannabis use among adolescents and young adults in Spain: associations with substance use and mental health.",
  "title_text": "Recreational versus self-medicated cannabis use among adolescents and young adults in Spain: associations with substance use and mental health.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-03T12:22:00Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1dt5rsary2s21",
  "venue": "Journal of cannabis research",
  "versions": []
}