NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: social sciences, public health, public awareness

Objective(s): To evaluate the patters of cannabis use, to inform the development of specific regulations, including product labelling, warnings, and marketing restrictions.

Project Description: The primary purpose of the proposed study is to evaluate patterns of cannabis use. Canada has committed to legalizing recreational cannabis use in summer 2018. It is critically important to have sufficient evidence to inform the development of specific regulations, including product labelling, warnings, and marketing restrictions. Consumer perceptions research can help to inform key decisions in these areas. The study will examine the extent to which legalization is associated with changes in five primary outcomes: 1. The prevalence and patterns of cannabis use among adults, including young adults; 2. Risk behaviours, including driving after cannabis use; 3. The commercial retail environment, including the price and type of products used; 4. Perceptions of risk and social norms; and, 5. The effectiveness of specific regulatory policies, including advertising restrictions, product labelling and warnings, public education campaigns, and the use of cannabis in public spaces and workplaces. The proposed study is part of a larger study consisting of a quasi-experimental design with prospective cohort surveys conducted all 10 provinces in Canada, as well as in two ‘control’ jurisdictions: US states where recreational cannabis use remains illegal (US illegal), and US states where recreational cannabis use has been legalized (US legal). The proposed study will apply a similar quasi-experimental design with prospective cohort surveys in Yukon and Northwest Territories. The prospective cohort surveys consist of an online survey conducted once every 12 months for up to 4 years among a participant cohort, including a baseline survey that is conducted prior to the implementation of legalization in Canada and three post-implementation surveys conducted approximately 12-, 24-, and 36-months after the implementation of legalization in Canada. Participants will be recruited from an already established cohort of ~2000 respondents in Yukon and Northwest Territories that were initially recruited for the alcohol labelling study. Inclusion criteria at the time of initial recruitment in the alcohol labelling study included: age 19+, current drinkers (consumed =1 alcoholic drink in past 30 days), current residents of either Whitehorse or Yellowknife, have an email address, are not currently pregnant or breastfeeding, and purchased alcohol at the liquor store on the day of recruitment. Participants will complete a 30-minute online survey available in English. Survey procedures include: 1. after participants complete the alcohol labelling survey, they will be invited to participate in a new cannabis study that consists of one 30-minute online survey every 12 months for the next 4 years. Participants will have the option to receive more information about the cannabis-related survey, or to complete and close the alcohol labelling survey; 2. if participants actively indicate they are interested in participating in the new cannabis study, they will receive an email from Nielsen Research Services that includes an invitation and a link to the survey; 3. participants who click on the survey link will be asked to review study information and to provide active consent; 4. participants who provide their consent will complete the survey sections: background and patterns of use, perceptions of health warnings, perceptions of constituent labelling, and perceptions of brand imagery on packaging; and, 5. participants will be thanked for their assistance. Analyses will examine national-level changes in Canada over time compared to US legal and US illegal states, as well as between provinces and territories to examine differences in policy implementation. Overall, the proposed research will provide a rigorous design for evaluating the impact of national- and provincial/territorial cannabis legislation in Canada using ‘within-country’ and ‘between-country’ controls over time. The team is closely collaborating with the Yukon Chief Medical Officer of Health and the Chief of Public Health in Northwest Territories to better ensure results have immediate and lasting impact in science, policy, and practice. The team believe meaningfully engaging these key influencers in Yukon and Northwest Territories will help to balance the use of evidence and real-world wisdom in the development and evaluation of interventions, as well as in achieving knowledge uptake among policy and practice partners. Involvement of these local partners has also helped to ensure the research reflects the needs of knowledge users in Yukon and Northwest Territories, and will improve the quality and outcomes of the research. A final report will be submitted to communities in the NWT in March 2022, with interim summary reports submitted in 2019 and 2020. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from August 23, to December 31, 2018.