Pandemic Cannabis Use Increasing, Maybe
Researchers Call for Greater Access to Provincial Cannabis Sales Figures – LPC
Global News reports pandemic cannabis use increasing leading health experts to worry about cannabis addiction and other cannabis-related health problems.
“A lot of people think that they’re not at risk if they use cannabis,” said Dr. Tara Elton-Marshall. She is a scientist with the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). “But if you are using more frequently, then it can impact your health.”
Younger users are at greater risk of mental health issues, she added.
However, in an open letter in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), noted cannabis researcher Michael Armstrong questioned how much data researchers can access.
“The legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada in October 2018 was the beginning of a policy experiment that has attracted worldwide attention,” Armstrong wrote. “To support that experiment, the federal government has funded medical, scientific and policy research, and committed itself to a national regulatory review in October 2021. But both research and review are made harder by provincial governments’ inadequate disclosure of their data for sales of cannabis.” (Emphasis added.)
Although, Armstrong noted, researchers can see pandemic cannabis use increasing through aggregated national data, that doesn’t give an adequate picture of what’s happening in specific areas of the country.
“The extent to which legalization may reduce physical harms to users or law enforcement harms to minorities, partly depends on how many existing users start buying products through regulated channels. Studies of the impacts of legalization on hospital admissions and visits to the emergency department could especially benefit from sales data that are broken down by month and location. But such research currently relies instead on indirect measures of regional sales, such as counts of licensed stores.”
Does the US Have Better Access to Information About Pandemic Cannabis Use Increasing?
Armstrong said that states in the US such as Colorado and Washington require greater transparency. That would make research into pandemic cannabis use increasing easier – and more precise in terms of location.
“This provincial secrecy contrasts starkly with the proactive disclosure practised by several states in the US. Colorado publishes monthly cannabis sales broken down by county, whereas Washington breaks down sales to the store level. Thus, for example, from October 2018 to March 2019, Colorado posted 228 retail sales data points online and Washington provided 2591, but Ontario released just 1. Furthermore, Washington allows researchers to analyze its (anonymized) sales databases that contain millions of retail and wholesale transactions.” (Emphasis added.)
“Provincial secrecy” as Armstrong puts it showed up in Alberta last June. The CBC reported that Alberta’s Chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, noted a “sharp increase” in cannabis use as well as alcohol.
Alberta Health later walked that statement back on her behalf. A spokesperson called Dr. Hinshaw’s description a “slip of the tongue.”
So, it would seem, even those people at the very top of public health are either not allowed to get information about pandemic cannabis use increasing, or are not allowed to talk about it.
The Problem with Secrecy and Pandemic Cannabis Use Increasing
The problem with secrecy when it comes to pandemic cannabis use increasing is that it stops people from getting the help they need.
“We know that COVID-19 has really been difficult for all (substance users). It’s a perfect storm for increased substance use,” said Dr. Leslie Buckley, CAMH Chief of Addictions in the Global article.
Greater transparency also means the public will have a greater understanding of the impact of cannabis, Armstrong said.
“To enhance public understanding of the outcomes of cannabis legalization in Canada and avoid this skewed situation, provincial and territorial governments must become more transparent with their cannabis data. At a minimum, they should begin posting online the monthly data they already report to Health Canada, within the same 15-day window.”
The Cannabis Act, which will be under review this October, is designed to protect Canadians. If healthcare professionals say they are not getting enough data to do that, then reviewing provincial secrecy policies is vital. In a safety-first framework, knowing precisely the public health risks including pandemic cannabis use increasing should be paramount.
Click here to view full story at globalnews.ca
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