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Implications of Cannabis Legalization on Substance-Related Benefits and Harms for People Who Use Opioids : A Canadian Perspective Bahji, Anees; Socias, M. Eugenia; Bach, Paxton; Milloy, M-J

Abstract

In 2018, Canada enacted the Cannabis Act, becoming only the second country (after Uruguay) to legalize the recreational consumption of cannabis. Although there is ongoing global disagreement on the risk-benefit profile of cannabis with increasing legalization in many parts of the world, the evidence of rising cannabis use prevalence post-legalization has been consistent. In contrast, post-legalization changes in various cannabis-related metrics have been inconsistent in Canada and other parts of the world. Furthermore, the implications of cannabis legalization on substance-related harms and benefits for people who use unregulated drugs (PWUD), particularly opioids, remain unclear. Finally, while Canada did not legalize cannabis to address the opioid crisis, there is rising scientific and popular interest in the therapeutic potential of cannabis to mitigate opioid-related harms. This perspective highlights the implications of cannabis legalization on substance-related benefits and harms for people who use opioids, the current state of Canadian research, and suggestions for future directions.

Item Metadata

Title
Implications of Cannabis Legalization on Substance-Related Benefits and Harms for People Who Use Opioids : A Canadian Perspective
Creator
Bahji, Anees; Socias, M. Eugenia; Bach, Paxton; Milloy, M-J
Contributor
British Columbia Centre on Substance Use
Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Publishers
Date Issued
2023-03-31
Description
In 2018, Canada enacted the Cannabis Act, becoming only the second country (after Uruguay) to legalize the recreational consumption of cannabis. Although there is ongoing global disagreement on the risk-benefit profile of cannabis with increasing legalization in many parts of the world, the evidence of rising cannabis use prevalence post-legalization has been consistent. In contrast, post-legalization changes in various cannabis-related metrics have been inconsistent in Canada and other parts of the world. Furthermore, the implications of cannabis legalization on substance-related harms and benefits for people who use unregulated drugs (PWUD), particularly opioids, remain unclear. Finally, while Canada did not legalize cannabis to address the opioid crisis, there is rising scientific and popular interest in the therapeutic potential of cannabis to mitigate opioid-related harms. This perspective highlights the implications of cannabis legalization on substance-related benefits and harms for people who use opioids, the current state of Canadian research, and suggestions for future directions.
Geographic Location
Downtown-Eastside (Vancouver, B.C.)
Genre
Article; Postprint
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2023-09-08
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
DOI
10.14288/1.0435832
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/85879
Affiliation
Medicine, Faculty of; Non UBC; Medicine, Department of
Citation
Bahji, A., Socias, M.E., Bach, P., & Milloy, M-J. (2023). Implications of Cannabis Legailization on Substance-Related Benefits and Harms for People Who Use Opioids: A Canadian Perspective. Cannabis and Cannaboid Research.
Publisher DOI
10.1089/can.2023.0031
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Aggregated Source Repository
DSpace

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International