Consideration of multiple stages of drug use from non-use to dependence allows identification of factors uniquely associated with specific transitions. The current results demonstrate that different factors are influential at different stages of the development of cannabis dependence. Additionally, the differences and consistencies in factors across the stages of drug use provide an insight into which similarities and differences we may expect to see occurring through the transitions towards dependence. The findings have implications for substance use prevention efforts, as both the targeting of interventions as well as the interventions themselves may benefit from being tailored to stages of drug use.
