Availability, retail price and potency of legal and illegal cannabis in Canada after recreational cannabis legalisation

Mahamad, Syed; Wadsworth, Elle; Rynard, Vicki; Goodman, Samantha; Hammond, David

doi:10.1111/dar.13069

Cited by 95 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Indeed, among dried herb consumers who reported THC levels using a percentage, about 30% reported a value higher than 30% THC, a level that (to our knowledge) is not commonly available. 3 A recent scan conducted by our group found that < 1% of dried herb products on the legal and illegal markets in Canada exceeded 30% (unpublished data). Similar proportions reported implausible data for CBD levels in dried herb: a 2018 scan of the Canadian market found that dried herb contained an average of 2% CBD, 3 whereas respondents in the current study reported a mean of at least 20% CBD in all three jurisdictions.…”

Section: Knowledge Of Thc and Cbd Levelsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…3 A recent scan conducted by our group found that < 1% of dried herb products on the legal and illegal markets in Canada exceeded 30% (unpublished data). Similar proportions reported implausible data for CBD levels in dried herb: a 2018 scan of the Canadian market found that dried herb contained an average of 2% CBD, 3 whereas respondents in the current study reported a mean of at least 20% CBD in all three jurisdictions. This poor awareness of cannabinoid levels is consistent with a previous study in which the majority of respondents believed that low-and high-THC strains of cannabis contained ‡ 20% and ‡ 40% THC-concentrations reflective of high-THC strains and exceeding those in existing strains, respectively.…”

Section: Knowledge Of Thc and Cbd Levelsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Among commercially available dried herb products, THC levels can range from 1% or less to *30%. [1][2][3] Vape oils can have an even greater range-from no THC to more than 90%-while cannabis edibles also vary from several milligrams to several hundred milligrams of THC in a single product.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Knowledge of Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol Levels Among Cannabis Consumers in the United States and Canada

Hammond

Goodman

2022

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research

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Objective: This study aimed to examine consumer knowledge of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) levels for usual cannabis products. Methods: Data are from the International Cannabis Policy Study conducted online in August-September 2018. Respondents included 6471 past 12-month cannabis users, aged 16-65 years, recruited from the Nielsen Global Insights Consumer Panel using nonprobability methods. Respondents were recruited from Canada, which had not yet legalized nonmedical cannabis (n = 2354), and US states that had (n = 2160) and had not (n = 1957) legalized nonmedical cannabis. Results: Participants reported descriptive THC:CBD ratios (e.g., high THC, low CBD) and numeric THC and CBD levels (mg or %) for products they usually use in each of nine product categories. Few consumers knew and were able to report the numeric THC or CBD levels of their usual cannabis products. For example, only 10% of dried herb consumers reported the THC level, approximately 30% of whom reported implausible values. A greater proportion of consumers reported a descriptive THC:CBD ratio of their usual product, ranging from 50.9% of edible users to 78.2% of orally ingested oil users. Consumers were substantially more likely to report products high in THC versus low in THC for all products except topicals and tinctures, whereas similar proportions reported using products high and low in CBD. Despite some evidence of greater knowledge in legal jurisdictions, knowledge was still low in states with legal cannabis markets. Conclusions: Consumer knowledge of THC and CBD levels was low, with only modest differences between consumers living in jurisdictions that had and had not legalized nonmedical cannabis. The findings cast doubt on the validity of self-reported cannabinoid levels.

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Section: Knowledge Of Thc and Cbd Levelsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Knowledge Of Thc and Cbd Levelsmentioning

confidence: 96%

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Knowledge of Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol Levels Among Cannabis Consumers in the United States and Canada

Hammond

Goodman

2022

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research

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“…Recent estimates in the Canadian market suggest similar (or greater) increases in the potency of cannabis. For example, one study that tracked the potency of legal and illegal cannabis products for two months following the federal legalization of non-medical cannabis use found a mean THC concentration of 16.1% in the legal market and 20.5% in the illegal market ( 41 ). Given that the global mean THC potency of cannabis was approximately 1–2% just a few decades ago ( 36 ), the emergence of dried cannabis plant material with 20% THC or more presents a serious public health concern, especially in the absence of a proportional increase in CBD levels.…”

Section: Diversification Of Cannabis Products and The Potential Rise mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cannabis Legalization and Acute Harm From High Potency Cannabis Products: A Narrative Review and Recommendations for Public Health

Matheson

Foll

2020

Front. Psychiatry

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Legalization and commercial sale of non-medical cannabis has led to increasing diversity and potency of cannabis products. Some of the American states that were the first to legalize have seen rises in acute harms associated with cannabis use, e.g. Colorado has seen increases in emergency department visits for cannabis-related acute psychological distress and severe vomiting (hyperemesis), as well as a number of high-profile deaths related to ingestion of high doses of cannabis edibles. Over-ingestion of cannabis is related to multiple factors, including the sale of cannabis products with high levels of THC and consumers’ confusion regarding labelling of cannabis products, which disproportionately impact new or inexperienced users. Based on our review of the literature, we propose three approaches to minimizing acute harms: early restriction of cannabis edibles and high-potency products; clear and consistent labelling that communicates dose/serving size and health risks; and implementation of robust data collection frameworks to monitor harms, broken down by cannabis product type (e.g. dose, potency, route of administration) and consumer characteristics (e.g. age, sex, gender, ethnicity). Ongoing data collection and monitoring of harms in jurisdictions that have existing legal cannabis laws will be vital to understanding the impact of cannabis legalization and maximizing public health benefits.

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“…Some data likewise suggested changes in frequency of use following recreational cannabis legalization in the U.S. with findings showing a small increase in adolescent CUD and increases in past-month cannabis use, past-month frequent cannabis use, and past-year CUD among adults over 26 years (8). Of note, studies, furthermore, suggest that cannabis has grown more potent as measured by the proportion of D 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content in relation to cannabidiol (CBD) content (THC to CBD ratio) (9,10). Accordingly, with policy changes, there has been increased attention into cannabis-related harms such as motor vehicle accidents, emergency medical attendances and hospitalizations, severe mental disorders (SMD) as well as suicides (1,7).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Violence and Cannabis Use: A Focused Review of a Forgotten Aspect in the Era of Liberalizing Cannabis

et al. 2020

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There has been a shift surrounding societal and legal perspectives on cannabis reflecting changing public attitudes towards the perceived safety and social acceptability of cannabis use. With cannabis liberalization internationally, the focus of most cannabisrelated harms has been on effects with users themselves. Harm-to-others including injuries from violence have nevertheless been unfortunately largely overlooked. While studies remain heterogeneous, there is meta-analytical evidence pointing towards an association. The aims of this focused review are twofold: (I) review the evidence from meta-analyses on the association between cannabis and violence; and (II) provide an overview of possible mechanisms relating cannabis use to violence. First, evidence from meta-analytical studies in youths, intimate partners, and individuals with severe mental disorders have shown that there is a global moderate association between cannabis use and violence, which is stronger in the latter more at-risk population. Preliminary data has even highlighted a potential dose-response relationship with larger effects in more frequent users. Although of importance, this subject has remained essentially forgotten as a public health concern. While literature remains inconclusive, data has suggested potential increases in cannabis use following liberalization policies. This may increase violent outcomes if the effect is directly related to the use of cannabis by means of its psychophysiological modifications. However, for the moment, the mechanisms associating cannabis use and violence remain to be clearly resolved. Considering the recency of policy changes on cannabis, further methodologically sound research using longitudinal designs should examine the effects that cannabis use may have on different forms of violence and the trends that emerge, while evaluating the effects of possible confounding factors (e.g. other substance use). In addition, as evidence-based research from meta-analyses have shown that cannabis use is associated with violence, measures must be taken to mitigate the risks.

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Availability, retail price and potency of legal and illegal cannabis in Canada after recreational cannabis legalisation

Cited by 95 publications

References 33 publications

Knowledge of Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol Levels Among Cannabis Consumers in the United States and Canada

Knowledge of Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol Levels Among Cannabis Consumers in the United States and Canada

Cannabis Legalization and Acute Harm From High Potency Cannabis Products: A Narrative Review and Recommendations for Public Health

Violence and Cannabis Use: A Focused Review of a Forgotten Aspect in the Era of Liberalizing Cannabis

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