Halifax, Canada: Rates of suicide in Canada remained stable following the adoption of adult-use cannabis legalization, according to data published in the journal BJPsych Open.
Canadian investigators assessed the number of hospitalizations related to suicide during the six months immediately following legalization and again two years later. Suicide rates remained stable during the study period. Researchers also acknowledged, “Individuals present to the emergency department with cannabis use less frequently than alcohol.”
The study’s authors concluded: “Post-cannabis legalization, there is not an ongoing increase in emergency department presentations for suicidal ideation and attempts. This is in line with other work in Canadian jurisdictions showing no increases in cannabis-related emergency department presentations overall post-legalization.”
Data from the United States previously reported a correlation between the enactment of state-specific medical cannabis access laws and declining suicide rates. A more recent study determined that suicide rates rose in some states following the adoption of adult-use legalization, but fell in other legal jurisdictions.
Full text of the study, “Understanding the role of cannabis in patients with suicidal ideation presenting to the emergency department: Systematic chart review,” appears in BJPsych Open.