Stéphane Legleye

Short Instruments to Screen for "Problematic" Cannabis Use in General Population Surveys

Abstract The chapter identifies brief screening instruments (ie, short questionnaires) that have the potential to adequately estimate the extent of cannabis-related problems via epidemiological surveys at the population level. A systematic review of the literature and pertinent databases identified 20 potentially useful—that is, self-administrable, short, and simple—instruments that assess a broad spectrum of cannabis-related problems. Eleven instruments which had not undergone validations outside the clinical context were subsequently removed from the preliminary list. The remaining nine instruments were subject to further in-depth analysis as regards their purpose, psychometric properties, or ability to detect cannabis-related problems, respectively, in general population surveys among adolescents and adults. Based on that analysis, the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) and the Cannabis Use Disorders Identification Test (CUDIT) were finally selected as present-day’s most appropriate instruments for use in general population surveys.