Changes in Cannabis-Attributable Hospitalizations Following Nonmedical Cannabis Legalization in Canada

Source:

Myran DT, Gaudreault A, Konikoff L, Talarico R, Liccardo Pacula R. Changes in Cannabis-Attributable Hospitalizations Following Nonmedical Cannabis Legalization in Canada. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(10):e2336113. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.36113

Key Points

Question  How have rates of hospitalizations due to cannabis changed, nationally and between provinces, since nonmedical cannabis was legalized in Canada?

Findings  In this cross-sectional study of 26.9 million individuals in 4 Canadian provinces, rates of cannabis-related hospitalizations declined immediately after legalization during a period of legal market immaturity and later increased during a period of legal market expansion and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meaning  The findings in this study caution that greater levels of legal cannabis market access may be associated with an increase in a variety of cannabis-attributable harms.