Lower Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines for Canada (LRCUG): A Narrative Review of Evidence and Recommendations

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: More than one in ten adults--and about one in three young adults--report past year cannabis use in Canada. While cannabis use is associated with a variety of health risks, current policy prohibits all use, rather than adopting a public health approach focusing on interventions to address specific risks and harms as do policies for alcohol. The objective of this paper was to develop 'Lower Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines' (LRCUG) based on research evidence on the adverse health effects of cannabis and factors that appear to modify the risk of these harms. METHODS: Relevant English-language peer-reviewed publications on health harms of cannabis use were reviewed and LRCUG were drafted..