Cannabis guidelines seek to minimize use risks

Canadian medical and public health organizations are backing the recent release of Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines, which are recommendations enabling cannabis users to reduce their health risks.

Officials said the guidelines, published in the American Journal of Public Health, are based on a scientific review by an international team of experts and address the fact that despite the health risks of cannabis use, the rate of cannabis use in Canada is among the highest in the world.

“Factual, science-based information can provide guidance to cannabis users to make choices that reduce both immediate and long-term risks to their health,” Benedikt Fischer, leader of the development guidelines and senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), said.
It is estimated more than 10 percent of adults and 25 percent of adolescents report cannabis use over the past year, with health risks ranging from problems with memory and physical coordination, to motor vehicle accidents and mental health or dependence problems.
While the first guideline recommendation is to abstain from cannabis use to avoid all risks, the remaining recommendations address the elevated potential of risks related to initiating use at a young age, high potency products, alternative delivery systems and heavy use and driving.

“These guidelines are an important tool supporting a public health approach to cannabis use,” Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association, said. “Through their widespread adoption, the guidelines will provide people who use cannabis with the information they need to manage their use and protect their health and well-being.”