Citation

Kim C, Chum A, Nielsen A, Macmaster F, Rittenbach K, Allin S, O'Campo P, Kirst M, Hamilton H. Can. J. Psychiatry 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Canadian Psychiatric Association, Publisher SAGE Publications)

DOI

10.1177/07067437221114785

PMID

35892283

Abstract

Canada legalized recreational cannabis on October 17, 2018. Since then, only one Canadian study (in Quebec) examined the impact of legalization on cannabis-related hospitalizations." That study focused on youth (0-19) using 5.5 months of post-legalization data, which precluded understanding the impact on trends over a longer period after legalization. While a number of recent studies have examined the impact of legalization on cannabis-related emergency department (ED) visits in Canada, 23 cannabis-related hospitalizations should not be ignored since substance-relate in-patient care is required in the most severe spectrum of cases and they contribute to significant healthcare costs.

The multi-phased approach of cannabis legalization in Ontario provides an opportunity to examine the impact of the different phases of cannabis sales regulation on cannabis-related hospitalizations. The Ontario legal cannabis availability approach involves a hybrid model of government operated online sales and licensed private retail stores.

Implementation of the model was phased, with Phase 1 of legalization (October 2018-March 2020) associated with flower and herb sales online and limited private retail ...

Language: en

Keywords

Ontario; cannabinoids; addictions; cannabis use disorders; acute care; health services research; healthcare utilization