The impact of non-medical cannabis legalization on risk perceptions and driving perceptions in Atlantic Canada

Abstract

Objective: This research examined the impact of non-medical cannabis legalization on health risk perceptions and driving perceptions in Atlantic Canada compared to non-Atlantic Canada. Methods: Secondary cross-sectional analysis was conducted on the International Cannabis Policy Study (ICPS) surveys (2018-2021) on 58,045 participants aged 16- 65 residing in Canada. We employed ordinal logistic regression to examine the impact of legalization on the health risk perception of different cannabis consumption modes (Study 1) and driving perceptions (Study 2) in Atlantic Canada compared to non-Atlantic Canada. Results: Study 1 indicated a decreased perceived health risk associated with daily cannabis smoking, edibles, synthetic cannabis, and high potency, except for vaping. Perceived risk from daily vaping was higher in Atlantic Canadians than non-Atlantic Canadians following legalization. In Study 2, Atlantic Canadians had a weaker perception of police, decreased risk perception of accidents and increased perceived ease of identifying cannabis intoxication. However, post-legalization, Atlantic Canadians perceived higher risk of accident and greater perceived efforts to prevent an intoxicated friend from driving compared to non-Atlantic Canadians. Conclusion: The effect of cannabis legalization was more pronounced in Atlantic Canada for several outcomes, suggesting that for those perceived risks, Atlantic Canadians had a stronger change in perception than non-Atlantic Canadians over time.