Cannabis Use and Misuse Following Recreational Cannabis Legalization
In this prospective cohort study of community-dwelling adults in Canada, cannabis use frequency increased modestly in the 5 years following legalization, while cannabis misuse decreased modestly. These changes were substantially moderated by prelegalization cannabis use, with more frequent consumers of cannabis before legalization exhibiting the largest decreases in both outcomes. Although longer-term surveillance is required, these results suggest Canadian recreational cannabis legalization was associated with modest negative and positive consequences among adults.
Authors
- Amanda Doggett (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8538-432X)
- Kyla Belisario (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5403-9531)
- Jillian Halladay (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4393-2572)
- James M. MacKillop (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8695-1071)
- Jessica Gillard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1862-6004)
- Jane DeJesus (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3334-6799)
- Laura M. Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6105-0317)
- André J. McDonald (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1734-5067)
- Emily Vandehei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1432-0841)
Institutions
- St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (CA)
- McMaster University (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- JAMA Network Open
- Published
- 2025-04-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.6551
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.58
Funders
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research