Abstract Background: Patient portal secure messaging allows patients to describe health-related behaviors in ways that may not be sufficiently captured in standard electronic health record (EHR) documentation, but little is known about how cannabis is discussed on this platform. Objective: This study aimed to identify patient and provider secure messages that discussed cannabis and contextualize these discussions over periods before and after its legalization for medical purposes in Pennsylvania. Methods: We examined 382,982 secure messages sent by 15,340 patients and 6101 providers from an integrated health delivery system in Pennsylvania, United States, from January 2012 to June 2022. We used an unsupervised natural language...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Many people living with HIV (PLWH) use cannabis to manage symptoms, but a large proportion do so without medical cannabis authorization and use cannabis obtained outside the medical stream. In jurisdictions where non-medical cannabis use is legal, PLWH who hold medical cannabis authorization may represent a unique subgroup; yet, research on the correlates of using medical cannabis (authorized by a healthcare provider) in the context of non-medical cannabis legalization is lacking. Thus, this study examined the cannabis- and health-related correlates of medical cannabis use among PLWH in Ontario, Canada, where non-medical cannabis is legal. PLWH...

Summary Background An increasing number of countries have or are considering legalizing cannabis. One concern is that legalization of cannabis will result in increased cannabis use and in turn a higher prevalence of anxiety disorders. We examined changes in emergency department (ED) visits for anxiety disorders with cannabis involvement in Ontario, over a period that involved medical and non-medical cannabis legalization. Methods This repeated cross-sectional population-based study identified all ED visits for anxiety disorders from residents of Ontario, Canada aged 10–105 between 2008 and 2022 (n = 15.7 million individuals). We used interrupted time series analyses to examine immediate and gradual changes in cannabis-involvement and alcohol-involvement...

Abstract Introduction Women are emerging as a key demographic for medicinal cannabis (MC) use in countries that have implemented MC reforms. However, research on mothers' experiences of consuming MC remains limited beyond studies on perinatal outcomes. This study explores mothers' diverse experiences of consuming MC in New Zealand under the legal MC scheme. Methods Interviews with 15 mothers using MC via prescriptions, the illegal market or both in the last 12 months. Thematic analysis focused on MC use in parenting, MC conversations with children, societal stigma and risks. Results Mothers reported MC as an important facilitator of their ability to positively parent their children, enabling...

Please use this link to access this publication. ABSTRACT Cannabis was legalized for adult use in California in 2016 for individuals 21 and older. Among 18–20-years-olds, who can possess cannabis legally as medical cannabis patients (MCP) but not as non-patient cannabis users (NPU), the impact of adult use legalization (AUL) on cannabis and other substance use is unknown. Two cohorts of 18–20-year-old cannabis users (MCP and NPU) were surveyed, one in 2014–15 (n = 172 “pre-AUL”) and another in 2019–20 (n = 139 “post-AUL”), using similar data collection methods in Los Angeles, California. Logistic and negative binomial regressions estimated cohort and MCP differences for cannabis and other drug...

Abstract Cannabis consumption among aging adults in Canada is increasing. The aims of the study were to examine cannabis consumption patterns before and after non-medical cannabis legalization and assess whether these patterns differ between men and women. Data were analyzed from Canadian respondents in a repeat cross-sectional survey conducted in 2018–2021. Analyses were conducted among adults aged 55–65 (n = 18,177) who had consumed cannabis in the past 12-month (n = 4119). Past 12-month cannabis consumption significantly increased among 55–65-year-olds from 2018 (19.3%) to the first-year post-legalization in 2019 (24.5%; p < .001), but remained stable thereafter (24.3%, and 25.6% in 2020 and 2021). More men reported past...

Abstract Introduction In legal and illegal markets, high-potency cannabis (>10 % delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)) is increasingly available. In adult samples higher-potency cannabis has been associated with mental health disorder but no studies have considered associations in adolescence. Methods A population-wide study compared no, low and high potency cannabis using adolescents (aged 13–14 years) self-reported symptoms of probable depression, anxiety, and auditory hallucinations. Results Of the 6672 participants, high-potency cannabis was used by 2.6 % (n=171) and low-potency by 0.6 % (n=38). After adjustment for sociodemographic factors, tobacco and alcohol use, in comparison to participants who had never used cannabis, people who had used high-potency but not low-potency cannabis were more likely to...

Abstract Background Studies investigating the association between cannabis use and physical activity have had mixed results. This study provided a population-based assessment while determining how the relationship is affected by variables such as cannabis legalization status and chronic medical conditions. Methods Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data were used to evaluate the association between cannabis use and physical activity among adults ages 18 years and older in several states and territories of the U.S. during 2016–2022. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) measuring the relationship between physical activity in the past 30 days (yes vs. no) and cannabis use in the past 30 days (yes...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Introduction Social norms play an important role in cannabis use; however, there is little evidence on how social norms change in jurisdictions that legalize cannabis. This study examined trends in social norms before and after legalization of nonmedical cannabis in Canada in 2018. Methods Data are from the International Cannabis Policy Study, a series of cross-sectional surveys conducted annually with Canadian respondents aged 16–65 years. Analyses were conducted in 2023 and included data from 58,045 respondents across 4 waves: the year immediately before legalization (2018) and 3 post-legalization waves (2019–2021). Regression models examined trends in...

Abstract This cohort study aims to assess the outcomes of fibromyalgia patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry prescribed a homogenous selection of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs). A cohort study of fibromyalgia patients treated with oils (Adven®, Curaleaf International, UK), dried flower (Adven®, Curaleaf International, UK) or both CBMPs was performed. Primary outcomes were changes from baseline at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months in validated patient-reported outcome measures. Secondary outcomes included descriptive analysis of adverse events. One hundred and forty-eight participants were treated with oils (n = 77; 52.03%), dried flower (n = 14; 9.46%) or both (n = 57; 38.51%). Improvements in the generalized anxiety disorder-7 questionnaire, single-item...