Cannabis use disorder is defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a problematic pattern leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, with symptoms that may include increased tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, strong desire to use marijuana and spending large amounts of time using cannabis.

Tammy Chung, director of the Center for Population Behavioral Health at Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, along with colleagues Marc Steinberg of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Mary Barna Bridgeman of the Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, published a commentary in JAMA Psychiatry calling for an important clarification of the way cannabis use disorder is diagnosed,specifically for people who use cannabis for therapeutic purposes. Chung explains why. To read the full story.