Cannabis Use Patterns Among Young Adults and Associations With Social and Health Outcomes.

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Cannabis Use

• Registration Number: NCT07063589
• Lead Sponsor: Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to identify and characterize patterns of non-therapeutic cannabis consumption and their variation in time in regular/daily users aged 18-24 years using a multi-factor approach (frequency of use, product types, cannabinoid dosages) over a two-year period.

Detailed Description

Changes in the legal status of cannabis in Canada have highlighted the need for knowledge about the substance and its effects at individual, population and societal levels. In Quebec, in the past year, one in four cannabis users reported weekly use, and around 15% reported daily use. More specifically, young people between the ages of 18 and 24 account for the largest proportion of this consumption, representing a large proportion of these regular to daily users. Little information is currently available about the correlates, evolution and effects of regular, daily cannabis use in this age group, despite the fact that it is the most widely used in the province.

Such comprehensive longitudinal data on consumption dynamics within this population is crucial for our understanding of whether and how cannabis use trajectories vary over time, characterizing the health and social consequences of cannabis consumption at this critical stage in human development, and ultimately providing evidence for the development of strategies to prevent and mitigate potential harms to this specific population.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2025-05-12
• Status Verified: 2025-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-07-02
• Study First Posted: 2025-07-14
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-07-21
• Last Update Posted: 2025-07-24
• Study Start: 2025-08-01
• Primary Completion: 2027-08
• Study Completion: 2027-08-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 350

Inclusion Criteria

• 18 to 24 years of age;
• Cannabis use frequency of at least 1 day/week in the past three months;
• Ability to speak and read French or English;
• willingness to comply with all study procedures;
• access to a mobile phone.

Exclusion Criteria

• Planned extended absence during study period (e.g. pending legal action, surgery, incarceration, inpatient residential program) which, in the opinion of the research staff, might prevent completion of the study;
• Current or anticipated treatment for cannabis use disorder, confirmed via self-report;
• Medical document authorizing the use of cannabis for medical purposes;
• Participation in clinical studies or undergoing other investigational procedures involving cannabis or cannabinoids administration.

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Cannabis use patterns	Baseline	Primary outcome measures of this study are specific assessments of cannabis use patterns, measured at baseline and daily using the mobile app. Primary outcome assessments related to cannabis use patterns will be tracked daily, taking advantage of a short but detailed series of questions taking approximately 1-5 minutes to answer, depending on the number of consumption events during the day. Participants will be advised to provide information even during non-consumption days, which in these cases will be limited to their general appreciation of the day, in addition to the fact that they did not consume that day. Participants will be able to retrospectively enter daily cannabis consumption data up to a maximum of seven days in the past, to minimize recall bias.
Trajectories of consumption patterns over time_Route of administration	From baseline (Day 1) up to two year (Day 730)	The investigators will use weekly reports on participants' habits surrounding cannabis use in the form of logbook entries, covering the route of administration for each product. This information will be collected for each consumption session during a use day.
Trajectories of consumption patterns over time_product type	From baseline (Day 1) up to two year (Day 730)	The investigators will use weekly reports on participants' habits surrounding cannabis use in the form of logbook entries, covering the product type for each product. This information will be collected for each consumption session during a use day.
Trajectories of consumption patterns over time_THC constituent (%)	From baseline (Day 1) up to two year (Day 730)	The investigators will use weekly reports on participants' habits surrounding cannabis use in the form of logbook entries, covering the THC constituent (%) for each product. This information will be collected for each consumption session during a use day.
Trajectories of consumption patterns over time_CBD constituent (%)	From baseline (Day 1) up to two year (Day 730)	The investigators will use weekly reports on participants' habits surrounding cannabis use in the form of logbook entries, covering the CBD constituent (%) for each product. This information will be collected for each consumption session during a use day.
Trajectories of consumption patterns over time_amount per use	From baseline (Day 1) up to two year (Day 730)	The investigators will use weekly reports on participants' habits surrounding cannabis use in the form of logbook entries, covering the amount per use for each product. This information will be collected for each consumption session during a use day.
Trajectories of consumption patterns over time_supply source	From baseline (Day 1) up to two year (Day 730)	The investigators will also capture information on supply source (choices are: cultivated by me or for me, family member or friend or acquaintance, SQDC, legal source from another province, health Canada licensed producer, illegal market) for each product used in the logbook.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Socio-demographic and behavioral determinants	At Weeks 16, 32, 48, 64 and 96	In addition to the information contained in the weekly logbook entries, for each cannabis use event and every four months, various social and health measures will be collected with the mobile application.; Based on this multi-factor approach, we hypothesize that users will fall into distinct clusters of consumption patterns (e.g., stable, chaotic/variable patterns, etc.), which will each be associated with specific psychosocial determinants and health outcomes.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montréal; 🇨🇦 Montréal, Quebec, Canada