Citation

Fischer B, Imtiaz S, Rudzinski K, Rehm J. J. Public Health (Oxford) 2015; 38(1): 183-188.

Affiliation

Social and Epidemiological Research Department, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada M5S 2S1 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5T 1R8 Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5S 1A8 Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5T 3M7 WHO/PAHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health and Addiction, Toronto, Canada M5S 2S1 Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden 01069, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/pubmed/fdv005

PMID

25630540

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in Canada; while its use is currently controlled by criminal prohibition, debates about potential control reforms are intensifying. There is substantive evidence about cannabis-related risks to health in various key outcome domains; however, little is known about the actual extent of these harms specifically in Canada.

METHODS: Based on epidemiological data (e.g. prevalence of relevant cannabis use rates and relevant risk behaviors; risk ratios; and annual numbers of morbidity/mortality cases in relevant domains), and applying the methodology of comparative risk assessment, we estimated attributable fractions for cannabis-related morbidity and mortality, specifically for: (i) motor-vehicle accidents (MVAs); (ii) use disorders; (iii) mental health (psychosis) and (iv) lung cancer.

RESULTS: MVAs and lung cancer are the only domains where cannabis-attributable mortality is estimated to occur. While cannabis use results in morbidity in all domains, MVAs and use disorders by far outweigh the other domains in the number of cases; the popularly debated mental health consequences (e.g., psychosis) translate into relatively small case numbers.

CONCLUSIONS: The present crude estimates should guide and help prioritize public health-oriented interventions for the cannabis-related health burden in the population in Canada; formal burden of disease calculations should be conducted.

Keywords: Cannabis impaired driving

Language: en