There has been an ongoing debate as to whether the cannabis withdrawal syndrome exists, which is one of the reasons that cannabis withdrawal was not part of the diagnostic criteria for cannabis dependence in the DSM-IV. We show that of all lifetime cannabis users, 11.9% experienced three or more symptoms of cannabis withdrawal, and therefore met criterion B of DSM-5 cannabis withdrawal. Irritability, sleep difficulty, restlessness, depressed mood and nervousness were the most common withdrawal symptoms (see Table 2), consistent with findings from previous studies investigating cannabis withdrawal (Budney & Hughes, 2006; Vandrey et al. 2008; Pruess et al. 2010; Ehlers et al. 2010; Gillespie et al. 2011). Males were more likely to have exhibited cannabis withdrawal and abuse/dependence than females. Our study and previous research findings (e.g. Hasin et al. 2008; Budney et al. 2004; Agrawal et al 2008) support the existence of cannabis withdrawal (symptoms) in cannabis users, providing support for its addition to the DSM-5.
