Historique
Article de Périodique
Who consumes most of the cannabis in Canada? Profiles of cannabis consumption by quantity (2019)
Auteur(s) :
CALLAGHAN, R. C. ;
SANCHES, M. ;
BENNY, C. ;
STOCKWELL, T. ;
SHERK, A. ;
KISH, S. J.
Année
2019
Page(s) :
art. 107587
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Domaine :
Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Discipline :
EPI (Epidémiologie / Epidemiology)
Autres mots-clés
Note générale :
Letter to the Editor: Manthey J., Carr S., Rehm J. Definition of a 'standard joint equivalent': Comment on "Who consumes most of the cannabis in Canada? Profiles of cannabis consumption by quantity". Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2020, Vol. 206, art. 107731.
Response: Callaghan R.C., Stockwell T., Sherk A., Kish S.J. Response to Manthey, Carr, and Rehm. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2020, Vol. 206, art. 107739.
Response: Callaghan R.C., Stockwell T., Sherk A., Kish S.J. Response to Manthey, Carr, and Rehm. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2020, Vol. 206, art. 107739.
Résumé :
AIM: To establish whether the population-level pattern of cannabis use by quantity is similar to the distributions previously reported for alcohol, in which a small subset of drinkers accounts for a majority of total population alcohol consumption.
METHOD: The current study pooled Waves 1-3 of the 2018 National Cannabis Survey (n=18,900; 2584 past-three-month cannabis users), a set of stratified, population-based surveys designed to assess cannabis consumption and related behaviors in Canada. Each survey systematically measured self-reported cannabis consumption by quantity across seven of the major cannabis-product types. In order to enable the conversion of self-reported consumption of non-flower cannabis products into a standard joint equivalent (SJE: equal to 0.5g of dried cannabis), we created conversion metrics for physical production equivalencies across cannabis products.
RESULTS: Similar to the findings in the alcohol literature, study results show that cannabis consumption is highly concentrated in a small subset of users: the upper 10% of cannabis users accounted for approximately two-thirds of all cannabis consumed in the country. Males reported consuming more cannabis by volume than females (approximately 60% versus 40%), with young males (15-34 years old) being disproportionately represented in the heaviest-using subgroups.
CONCLUSIONS: Most of the cannabis used in Canada is consumed by a relatively small population of very heavy cannabis users. Future research should attempt to identify the characteristics of the heaviest-using groups, as well as how population-level cannabis consumption patterns relate to the calculus of cannabis-related harms in society.
Highlights:
Study pooled Waves 1-3 of the 2018 Canadian National Cannabis Survey (n = 18,900).
Surveys assessed cannabis use by quantity across seven major cannabis-product types.
A standard joint measure was created, based on physical production equivalencies.
The upper 10% of Canadian cannabis users accounted for 66% of all cannabis consumed.
METHOD: The current study pooled Waves 1-3 of the 2018 National Cannabis Survey (n=18,900; 2584 past-three-month cannabis users), a set of stratified, population-based surveys designed to assess cannabis consumption and related behaviors in Canada. Each survey systematically measured self-reported cannabis consumption by quantity across seven of the major cannabis-product types. In order to enable the conversion of self-reported consumption of non-flower cannabis products into a standard joint equivalent (SJE: equal to 0.5g of dried cannabis), we created conversion metrics for physical production equivalencies across cannabis products.
RESULTS: Similar to the findings in the alcohol literature, study results show that cannabis consumption is highly concentrated in a small subset of users: the upper 10% of cannabis users accounted for approximately two-thirds of all cannabis consumed in the country. Males reported consuming more cannabis by volume than females (approximately 60% versus 40%), with young males (15-34 years old) being disproportionately represented in the heaviest-using subgroups.
CONCLUSIONS: Most of the cannabis used in Canada is consumed by a relatively small population of very heavy cannabis users. Future research should attempt to identify the characteristics of the heaviest-using groups, as well as how population-level cannabis consumption patterns relate to the calculus of cannabis-related harms in society.
Highlights:
Study pooled Waves 1-3 of the 2018 Canadian National Cannabis Survey (n = 18,900).
Surveys assessed cannabis use by quantity across seven major cannabis-product types.
A standard joint measure was created, based on physical production equivalencies.
The upper 10% of Canadian cannabis users accounted for 66% of all cannabis consumed.
Affiliation :
University of Northern British Columbia, Northern Medical Program, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
Autre(s) lien(s) :
Letter to the Editor ; Authors response