Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, M5S 1V4, Canada.
Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2023 Jun 22;18(1):36. doi: 10.1186/s13011-023-00550-1.
In 2018, Canada legalized recreational cannabis use with the purpose of protecting youth and restricting access. However, concerns have been raised that this objective has not been met as rates of cannabis use among youth aged 16-24 have not declined. Youth cannabis use is associated with various adverse effects including psychosis, anxiety, depression, suicidality, respiratory distress, cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, and intoxications. Service providers play a crucial role in addressing youth cannabis use. This study aimed to understand Ontario service providers' perceptions, practices, and recommendations on youth cannabis use.
This mixed method study included a survey and two focus groups. The survey was distributed to mental health service providers serving youth aged 16-24 across Ontario who were given the option to participate in a focus group. The survey included closed and open-ended questions regarding perceptions, practices, and recommendations, while the focus groups explored these categories in greater depth. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze close-ended questions and interpretative content analysis was applied for open-ended questions. Focus group data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
The survey was completed by 160 service providers and 12 participated in two focus groups. Regarding perceptions, 60% of survey participants agreed with legalization, 26% had a strong understanding of medical versus recreational cannabis, 84% believed that cannabis has physical and mental health risks, and 49% perceived stigmatization. Less than half of the survey participants reported screening or assessing cannabis use, 16% stated they are highly familiar with treating cannabis use, and 67% reported that they rarely work with families. Subthemes identified in the focus groups under perceptions included normalization and stigmatization, harms for youth, and stigma, racism, and discrimination. Subthemes under practice included cannabis not being the primary focus, challenges with screening, assessment, and intervention, and referral to specialized services. Both the survey and focus group participants recommended increasing public education, enhancing service provider training, improving regulation and policies, reducing stigma and minimization, improving service access, and providing more culturally responsive services.
Youth cannabis use in Canada remains a significant public health concern, necessitating a more comprehensive plan to protect Ontario youth and reduce associated harms.
2018 年，加拿大将娱乐用大麻合法化，目的是保护青少年并限制其获取途径。然而，人们担心这一目标并未实现，因为 16-24 岁青少年的大麻使用率并未下降。青少年使用大麻会导致各种不良后果，包括精神病、焦虑、抑郁、自杀倾向、呼吸窘迫、大麻戒断综合征和中毒。服务提供者在解决青少年大麻使用问题方面发挥着至关重要的作用。本研究旨在了解安大略省服务提供者对青少年大麻使用的看法、做法和建议。
本混合方法研究包括一项调查和两个焦点小组。该调查分发给安大略省为 16-24 岁青少年提供服务的心理健康服务提供者，他们可以选择参加焦点小组。调查包括关于看法、做法和建议的封闭和开放式问题，而焦点小组则更深入地探讨了这些类别。使用描述性统计分析来分析封闭式问题，并用解释性内容分析来分析开放式问题。对焦点小组数据进行了主题分析。
共有 160 名服务提供者完成了调查，其中 12 人参加了两个焦点小组。在看法方面，60%的调查参与者同意合法化，26%对医用大麻和娱乐用大麻有深刻的理解，84%认为大麻对身心健康有风险，49%认为存在污名化现象。不到一半的调查参与者报告对大麻使用进行筛查或评估，16%表示他们非常熟悉治疗大麻使用的方法，67%报告他们很少与家庭合作。在看法方面的子主题包括正常化和污名化、对青少年的危害以及污名、种族主义和歧视。在做法方面的子主题包括大麻不是主要关注点、筛查、评估和干预方面的挑战以及向专门服务机构转介。调查和焦点小组参与者都建议增加公众教育、加强服务提供者培训、改善监管和政策、减少污名化和轻视、改善服务获取以及提供更具文化响应性的服务。
加拿大青少年大麻使用仍然是一个重大的公共卫生问题，需要制定更全面的计划来保护安大略省的青少年并减少相关危害。
