Disparities in cannabis-related emergency department visits across depressed and non-depressed individuals and the impact of recreational cannabis policy in Ontario, Canada.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Recreational cannabis policies are being considered in many jurisdictions internationally. Given that cannabis use is more prevalent among people with depression, legalisation may lead to more adverse events in this population. Cannabis legalisation in Canada included the legalisation of flower and herbs (phase 1) in October 2018, and the deregulation of cannabis edibles one year later (phase 2). This study investigated disparities in cannabis-related emergency department (ED) visits in depressed and non-depressed individuals in each phase.

Methods

Using administrative data, we identified all adults diagnosed with depression 60 months prior to legalisation (n = 929 844). A non-depressed comparison group was identified using propensity score matching. We com

SUBMITTER: Kim C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10719623 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature