Cannabis Use
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to identify and characterize patterns of non-therapeutic cannabis consumption and their variation in time in regular/daily users aged 18-24 years using a multi-factor approach (frequency of use, product types, cannabinoid dosages) over a two-year period.
Detailed description
Changes in the legal status of cannabis in Canada have highlighted the need for knowledge about the substance and its effects at individual, population and societal levels. In Quebec, in the past year, one in four cannabis users reported weekly use, and around 15% reported daily use. More specifically, young people between the ages of 18 and 24 account for the largest proportion of this consumption, representing a large proportion of these regular to daily users. Little information is currently available about the correlates, evolution and effects of regular, daily cannabis use in this age group, despite the fact that it is the most widely used in the province. Such comprehensive longitudinal data on consumption dynamics within this population is crucial for our understanding of whether and how cannabis use trajectories vary over time, characterizing the health and social consequences of cannabis consumption at this critical stage in human development, and ultimately providing evidence for the development of strategies to prevent and mitigate potential harms to this specific population.
Interventions
OTHERMobile application
Cannabis use patterns and their resulting subjective experiences, along with social and health-related correlates will be collected in real time using a mobile application specifically designed for this study by a local custom software development company (Osedea, Montreal).
Sponsors
Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 24 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* 18 to 24 years of age; * Cannabis use frequency of at least 1 day/week in the past three months; * Ability to speak and read French or English; * willingness to comply with all study procedures; * access to a mobile phone.
Exclusion criteria
* Planned extended absence during study period (e.g. pending legal action, surgery, incarceration, inpatient residential program) which, in the opinion of the research staff, might prevent completion of the study; * Current or anticipated treatment for cannabis use disorder, confirmed via self-report; * Medical document authorizing the use of cannabis for medical purposes; * Participation in clinical studies or undergoing other investigational procedures involving cannabis or cannabinoids administration.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Trajectories of consumption patterns over time_supply source | From baseline (Day 1) up to two year (Day 730) | The investigators will also capture information on supply source (choices are: cultivated by me or for me, family member or friend or acquaintance, SQDC, legal source from another province, health Canada licensed producer, illegal market) for each product used in the logbook. |
| Trajectories of consumption patterns over time_CBD constituent (%) | From baseline (Day 1) up to two year (Day 730) | The investigators will use weekly reports on participants' habits surrounding cannabis use in the form of logbook entries, covering the CBD constituent (%) for each product. This information will be collected for each consumption session during a use day. |
| Trajectories of consumption patterns over time_amount per use | From baseline (Day 1) up to two year (Day 730) | The investigators will use weekly reports on participants' habits surrounding cannabis use in the form of logbook entries, covering the amount per use for each product. This information will be collected for each consumption session during a use day. |
| Cannabis use patterns | Baseline | Primary outcome measures of this study are specific assessments of cannabis use patterns, measured at baseline and daily using the mobile app. Primary outcome assessments related to cannabis use patterns will be tracked daily, taking advantage of a short but detailed series of questions taking approximately 1-5 minutes to answer, depending on the number of consumption events during the day. Participants will be advised to provide information even during non-consumption days, which in these cases will be limited to their general appreciation of the day, in addition to the fact that they did not consume that day. Participants will be able to retrospectively enter daily cannabis consumption data up to a maximum of seven days in the past, to minimize recall bias. |
| Trajectories of consumption patterns over time_Route of administration | From baseline (Day 1) up to two year (Day 730) | The investigators will use weekly reports on participants' habits surrounding cannabis use in the form of logbook entries, covering the route of administration for each product. This information will be collected for each consumption session during a use day. |
| Trajectories of consumption patterns over time_product type | From baseline (Day 1) up to two year (Day 730) | The investigators will use weekly reports on participants' habits surrounding cannabis use in the form of logbook entries, covering the product type for each product. This information will be collected for each consumption session during a use day. |
| Trajectories of consumption patterns over time_THC constituent (%) | From baseline (Day 1) up to two year (Day 730) | The investigators will use weekly reports on participants' habits surrounding cannabis use in the form of logbook entries, covering the THC constituent (%) for each product. This information will be collected for each consumption session during a use day. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Socio-demographic and behavioral determinants | From baseline (Day 1) up to two year (Day 730) and from week 1 to week 104 and every 4 months (Weeks16, 32, 48, 64, 96) | In addition to the information contained in the weekly logbook entries, for each cannabis use event we will collect socio-demographic variables to identify patterns of cannabis consumption. Based on this multi-factor approach, we hypothesize that users will fall into distinct clusters of consumption patterns (e.g., stable, chaotic/variable patterns, etc.), which will each be associated with specific psychosocial determinants and health outcomes. |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Association between variations in cannabis use patterns and health-related and social outcomes. | baseline, Weeks 16, 32, 48, 64 and 96 | The following health-related outcomes will be measured at baseline and at 4-month intervals using the mobile app for a total of nine times. Genetic profiles of participant will be used to perform genotype to phenotype associations based on health-related outcomes. Participants will be genotyped at more than 700,000 genome-wide loci to determine if specific genetic variants are significantly associated with some of the patterns of use detected in objective 1. Associations between genetic variants and health-related outcomes will additionally be tested to identify potential genetic vulnerabilities to higher risks of experiencing health problems. |
Countries
Canada
Contacts
Primary ContactPamela Lachance-Touchette, Ph.D.
Backup ContactFrançois-Olivier Hébert, Ph.D.
Outcome results
None listed