Promoting safer cannabis use

For centuries, people around the world have been using cannabis. There appears to be a variety of reasons that drive this use. Cannabis has been used to have fun and improve social interaction as well as the pursuit of novelty, euphoria and the expansion of perceptual horizons. It has also been used to cope with psychological stress, to self-medicate negative mental states, or to treat a variety of medical symptoms and conditions. In all of these areas, cannabis use has risk as well as benefit.

Communities need to foster ways to discuss the risks and benefits involved in using cannabis. Factors to consider include:

• potential health risks and benefits for the person using cannabis
• impacts on learning and socialization due to cannabis use
• risks of injury and safety of people around (e.g., due to driving under the influence)
• risks related to prohibition and the black-market distribution of cannabis

Various factors beyond simply using cannabis impact these risks. The physical context in which use takes place, the social beliefs of users and those around them and public policy all impact risk in inter-related ways.

Some Strategies to Reduce Risk

Reach out and support people who may be using cannabis in risky or harmful ways (e.g., engage them in conversation about their cannabis use through open-ended questions; share information like the Safer Cannabis Use brochure or the Take Care with Cannabis info card; encourage and support their efforts to adopt healthier patterns of use) – see Art of Motivation for ways to offer support (it works for young people and adults).

Contact the compassion club, cannabis-related stores or the 420 committee in your community to explore ways to work together to promote safer cannabis use (e.g., distribute the Safer Cannabis Use brochure or the Take Care with Cannabis info card; develop recipe cards for ways to consume cannabis without smoking it; and organize gatherings with cannabis users to share ideas for reducing harms and to talk about products you might develop together).

Encourage schools, parent and youth groups to work together to reduce risky cannabis use among youth (e.g., enhance connectedness with young people who may be using cannabis; facilitate parent and youth gatherings to talk about the benefits, risks and harms of cannabis use and ways to communicate safer practices; encourage school professionals to explore Helping Schools; enhance opportunities for youth to get involved in community service).