Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health & Addiction, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Research & Graduate Studies, University of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, BC, Canada.
Can J Public Health. 2024 Oct;115(5):784-788. doi: 10.17269/s41997-024-00914-5. Epub 2024 Jul 24.
Cannabis control policies are increasingly being liberalized, including the legalization of non-medical cannabis use and supply in multiple settings, for example in Canada, with main policy objectives focusing on improved public health. An important while contested matter has been the appropriate design of legal cannabis supply structures and sources. These, in most Americas-based legalization settings, have included provisions for (limited) 'home cultivation'. Recent data suggest that about 8% of active consumers engage in cannabis home cultivation for their own supply, while approximately 14% are exposed to it in/around their home. Home cultivation commonly exceeds legal limits and/or occurs where not allowed, and is disproportionately associated with high-frequency and/or other risk patterns of cannabis use. In addition, home cultivation may facilitate exposure or diversion of cannabis to minors, as well as pose possible environmental exposure risks especially when occurring indoors. Given its placement in private spaces, related regulations are largely shielded from enforcement. Home cultivation, therefore, bears substantive potential to circumvent or work counter to public health‒oriented legalization policy objectives. Recent assessments of health outcomes from cannabis legalization show mixed-including multiple adverse-results, implying the need for regulatory revisions towards protecting public health outcomes. Especially in settings where extensive (e.g. commercial) retail systems were established to provide regulated, legal cannabis products to consumers, it is questionable whether home cultivation overall serves primary public health‒oriented objectives; relevant data should be expanded and used to review related provisions.
大麻管制政策正日益放宽，包括在多个环境中使非医用大麻使用和供应合法化，例如在加拿大，其主要政策目标侧重于改善公共卫生。一个重要但存在争议的问题是适当设计合法大麻供应结构和来源。在大多数基于美洲的合法化环境中，包括（有限）“家庭种植”的规定。最近的数据表明，大约 8%的活跃消费者为自己供应而从事大麻家庭种植，而大约 14%的消费者在家中或周围接触到大麻。家庭种植通常超过法律限制，或在不允许的地方进行，而且与高频和/或其他风险模式的大麻使用高度相关。此外，家庭种植可能会导致大麻接触或转移给未成年人，并可能存在环境暴露风险，特别是在室内进行时。鉴于其在私人空间的位置，相关法规在很大程度上免受执行。因此，家庭种植有可能规避或违背以公共卫生为导向的合法化政策目标。最近对大麻合法化的健康结果评估显示结果喜忧参半，包括多种不利结果，这意味着需要进行监管修订，以保护公共卫生结果。特别是在建立广泛（例如商业）零售系统向消费者提供监管、合法大麻产品的环境中，家庭种植总体上是否符合主要的公共卫生目标值得怀疑；应扩大相关数据并用于审查相关规定。
