Reducing the harms of cannabis use in youth post-legalization: insights from Ontario youth, parents, and service providers.

IF 4 2区 社会学 Q1 SUBSTANCE ABUSE Harm Reduction Journal Pub Date : 2024-11-06 DOI:10.1186/s12954-024-01112-9
Toula Kourgiantakis, Angie Hamilton, Christine Tait, A Kumsal Tekirdag Kosar, Carrie K Y Lau, Sandra McNeil, Eunjung Lee, Shelley Craig, Abby L Goldstein
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Abstract

Background: Canada has one of the highest prevalence of cannabis use globally, particularly among young adults aged 20-24 (50%) and youth aged 16-19 (37%). In 2018, Canada legalized recreational cannabis with the aim of protecting youth by restricting their access and raising public awareness of health risks. However, there has been limited qualitative research on the perceptions of harms associated with youth cannabis use since legalization, which is crucial for developing effective harm reduction strategies. This qualitative study examined perceptions of cannabis use among youth from the perspectives of youth, parents, and service providers. We explored how participants described the perceived risks or harms associated with youth cannabis use, as well as how they described their own and others' approaches to reducing cannabis-related risks and harms.

Methods: This qualitative study used a community-based participatory research approach in partnership with Families for Addiction Recovery (FAR), a national charity founded by parents of youth and young adults with addiction issues. Virtual semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: The study included 88 participants from three key groups (n = 31 youth, n = 26 parents, n = 31 service providers). Two main themes emerged regarding perceived risks or harms associated with cannabis use: (1) concerns about cannabis-related risks and harms, including addiction, brain development, impact on family, and various adverse effects on areas such as motivation, concentration, finances, employment, education, physical and mental health; and (2) minimization of risks and harms, featuring conflicting messages, normalization, and perceptions of cannabis being less harmful than other substances. Additionally, two themes related to harm reduction approaches were identified: (1) implementation of harm reduction, and (2) challenges in implementing a harm reduction approach. Specific challenges for each participant group were noted, along with structural barriers such as unavailable and inaccessible services, easy access to cannabis, inadequate public education, and insufficient information on lower-risk cannabis use guidelines.

Conclusions: Youth cannabis use is a significant public health concern that requires a multi-pronged approach. Developing youth-centered harm reduction strategies that recognize the developmental needs and vulnerabilities of youth, as well as the important role of families, is imperative.

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减少合法化后青少年使用大麻的危害:安大略青少年、家长和服务提供者的见解。
背景:加拿大是全球大麻使用率最高的国家之一,尤其是在 20-24 岁的年轻成年人(50%)和 16-19 岁的青少年(37%)中。2018 年,加拿大将娱乐性大麻合法化,旨在通过限制青少年使用大麻来保护他们,并提高公众对健康风险的认识。然而,自大麻合法化以来,有关青少年对使用大麻相关危害的看法的定性研究十分有限,而这对于制定有效的减少危害策略至关重要。这项定性研究从青少年、家长和服务提供者的角度考察了他们对青少年吸食大麻的看法。我们探讨了参与者如何描述与青少年使用大麻相关的风险或危害,以及他们如何描述自己和他人减少大麻相关风险和危害的方法:这项定性研究采用了一种基于社区的参与式研究方法,与 "戒毒家庭"(Families for Addiction Recovery,FAR)合作开展。研究人员进行了虚拟半结构式访谈,并使用主题分析法对数据进行了分析:研究包括来自三个主要群体(31 名青少年、26 名家长、31 名服务提供者)的 88 名参与者。在感知与使用大麻有关的风险或危害方面出现了两个主要专题:(1) 对与大麻有关的风险和危害的担忧,包括成瘾、大脑发育、对家庭的影响,以及对动机、注意力、经济、就业、教育、身心健康等方面的各种不利影响;(2) 尽量减少风险和危害,包括相互矛盾的信息、正常化,以及认为大麻的危害小于其他物质。此外,还确定了两个与减少危害方法有关的主题:(1) 减少危害的实施,以及 (2) 实施减少危害方法所面临的挑战。注意到了每个参与者群体所面临的具体挑战,以及结构性障碍,如无法获得和无法利用的服务、容易获得大麻、公众教育不足以及关于低风险大麻使用准则的信息不足:青少年吸食大麻是一个重大的公共卫生问题,需要采取多管齐下的方法。当务之急是制定以青少年为中心的减少伤害战略,承认青少年的发展需求和脆弱性以及家庭的重要作用。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Harm Reduction Journal
Harm Reduction Journal Medicine-Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
CiteScore
5.90
自引率
9.10%
发文量
126
审稿时长
26 weeks
期刊介绍: Harm Reduction Journal is an Open Access, peer-reviewed, online journal whose focus is on the prevalent patterns of psychoactive drug use, the public policies meant to control them, and the search for effective methods of reducing the adverse medical, public health, and social consequences associated with both drugs and drug policies. We define "harm reduction" as "policies and programs which aim to reduce the health, social, and economic costs of legal and illegal psychoactive drug use without necessarily reducing drug consumption". We are especially interested in studies of the evolving patterns of drug use around the world, their implications for the spread of HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne pathogens.
期刊最新文献
Reducing the harms of cannabis use in youth post-legalization: insights from Ontario youth, parents, and service providers. Exploring the substitution of cannabis for alcohol and other drugs among a large convenience sample of people who use cannabis. Navigating transitions into, through, and beyond peer worker roles: insider insights from the Supporting Harm Reduction through Peer Support (SHARPS) study. Unpacking the Effects of Decriminalization: Understanding Drug Use Experiences and Risks among Individuals Who Use Drugs in British Columbia. A scoping review on barriers and facilitators to harm reduction care among youth in British Columbia, Canada.
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