<imgsrc=”” border=”0″ align=”left” alt=”image”>Aims:
To estimate temporal trends in cannabis consumption in the Canadian household population using national survey data and map changes in cannabis consumption postlegalization in 2018.
Methods:
In a 2-step meta-analysis approach, we first analyzed each survey year separately by estimating the weighted past-year prevalence (%) of self-reported cannabis use (including just once) with its 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In the next step, to produce aggregate data for each survey year, we pooled prevalences using the DerSimonian and Laird random-effects (determined a priori) meta-analysis model packages in R to estimate the between-study variance (τ2) for the inverse variance method, and the Freeman-Tukey Double arcsine transformation.
Results:
In total, 29 Statistics Canada survey iterations met eligibility for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Reported past-year prevalences for cannabis use ranged from 4.2% in 1993 to 27% in 2021. The overall prevalence of past-year cannabis use was 11.4% (95% CI, 9.7%–13.3%; 22 surveys; 53,712/474,888 participants; I2=99.8%; τ2=0.0048). There was a significant increase in cannabis past-year prevalence in subgroup meta-analyses (P