Abuso e dependência de maconha: compara？？o entre sexos e prepara？？o para mudan？as comportamentais entre usuários que iniciam a busca por tratamento

objectives: to describe the social and demographic profile of cannabis users seeking treatment and to compare differences between sex in relation to readiness to behavior change and in relation to associated use of marijuana and other drugs. method: a cross-sectional, descriptive study including a nonprobability sample of individuals who called a chemical dependency hotline. results: the sample comprised 72% male individuals aged between 12 and 25 years. the sample was composed by 85.5% used other drugs in association with cannabis. the action stage was the most frequent stage of readiness to behavior change observed, in 56% of the callers, with no differences between sex (p = 0.4). men more frequently sought treatment for the use of cannabis. conclusions: our findings allowed delineating a profile of cannabis users, so as to better guide the provision of adequate information and treatment services.