Of those reporting using cannabis at least 100 times, 48.5% met criteria for cannabis withdrawal as proposed by DSM-5 (i.e., experiencing 3 or more of 7 withdrawal symptoms) while 21.2% reported using withdrawal relief. Table 5 shows the prevalence of these withdrawal symptoms (considered to be endorsed if the respondent reported experiencing it some, quite a bit, or a great deal) which ranged from 47.4% for anger/aggression/irritability to 30.6% for decreased appetite. Craving during abstinence, which is not part of the proposed DSM-5 revisions, was endorsed by 53.4%. Additionally, 37.3% endorsed experiencing nausea or strange dreams. Withdrawal correlated well with other DSM-IV abuse and dependence criteria (r = 0.66, Cron-bach’s alpha = 0.81, total alpha = 0.83). In those who reported using cannabis at least 100 times, 60.4% of those meeting criteria for DSM-IV abuse or dependence also met criteria for DSM-5 proposed withdrawal.
