Association between supply source and vulnerability markers to cannabis-related harms: a cross-sectional study

Following cannabis legalization, some Canadian provinces created government-operated stores (e.g. Société québécoise du cannabis, SQDC) to distribute and sale cannabis and protect public health. However, little information exists on cannabis-related harms as a function of supply source. This study analyses data from the Quebec cannabis survey conducted between February 11th and June 9th 2019 in 1836 adult (>18 years old) cannabis users. Binary logistic regressions were used to evaluate the association between seven vulnerability markers to cannabis-related harms and supply source. Individuals who bought their cannabis at the SQDC (46%) had similar profile compared with individuals who bought their cannabis elsewhere (54%) in terms of psychological distress (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=1.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.3-3.8, p=0.991), risky motor driving (aOR=0.9, 95% CI=0.3-3.4, p=0.913), other substance co-use (aOR=0.8, 95% CI=0.2-3.9, p=0.765), problematic cannabis use (aOR=0.5, 95% CI=0.1-1.6, p=0.230), use to deal with negative affect (aOR=0.6, 95% CI=0.2-2.5, p=0.499) and cannabis use frequency (aOR=0.5, 95% CI=0.1-1.7, p=0.238). However, individuals who did not bought their cannabis at the SQDC had increased odds of ignoring the cannabinoid content of their cannabis product compared with those who bought their cannabis from SQDC (aOR=4.1, 95% CI=1.1-15.4, p=0.035). This result is coherent with SQDC's objective to inform cannabis users on their products, including the content and ratio of cannabinoids. More research is needed to see if this lower vulnerability marker translates into fewer negative consequences from cannabis use.Poster presented at the 22nd congress of students, fellows and residents of the Research Centre of the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal (Canada), May 5-6 2021.