Who is smoking pot for fun and who is not? An overview of screening instruments for cannabis-related problems in general population surveys

Objective: As cannabis use is widespread in most developed societies, cannabis-related problems are of relevance to public health. The aim of this article is to identify screening instruments that adequately estimate the extent of cannabis-related problems via epidemiological surveys at the population level.
Method: Based on existing reviews, databases and literature research, 44 potentially useful instruments were identified. Logistically unsuitable instruments (e.g. requiring clinical administration), and instruments which had not undergone cannabis-specific evaluations in population surveys were subsequently removed from the list.
Results: Seven instruments were found to be potentially suitable for use as cannabis screeners in population surveys. A further in-depth analysis was conducted as regards their purpose, their dimensionality and coverage of health, social and cognitive problems, the ascription of consequences and item time frame, as well as their psychometric properties when validated in population studies.
Conclusions: The Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST), the Cannabis Use Disorders Identification Test (CUDIT) and the Cannabis Use Problems Identification Test (CUPIT) were found to be the most appropriate tools to screen for cannabis-related problems in general population surveys.