According to a study, the rate of cannabis use disorders during pregnancy increased by more than 20% after its legalization in Canada.
On October 17, 2018, the Cannabis Act (Bill C-45) allowed Canadians aged 18 or over to cultivate, possess and consume cannabis for recreational purposes. A first in a Western country, five years after Uruguay, a pioneer in this area.
Since the promulgation of this law, we have seen more unrest in Quebec linked to cannabis in pregnant women? This is the question asked by a research team led by Professor José Ignacio Nazif-Munoz, from the University of Sherbrooke (Quebec). It was the subject of a published study June 20, 2024 in the scientific journal Addiction.
The path to cannabis authorization in Canada
In Canada, as in many countries, the legalization of cannabis use is the result of a long historical process marked by social, political and legislative changes. Cannabis was added to the list of substances prohibited in Canada in 1923.
In the 1960s and 1970s, cannabis embodies a symbol of the counterculture movement, the protest impulse of youth against the cultural domination of the bourgeoisie, in other words the “hippie” movement.
The consumption of cannabis then stimulated public debate until its authorization for medical reasons in the 1990s. On October 17, 2018, the Cannabis Act (Bill C-45) is promulgated.
Legalization of cannabis in Canada. Credits: AFP – Selim CHTAYTI
“Our study highlights the importance of universal screening for cannabis-related disorders”
This work reveals that the rate of cannabis-related disorders diagnosed in pregnant women aged 15 to 49 in the Canadian province of Quebec increased by more than 20% after the Cannabis Act was enacted, while rates of all other drug and alcohol disorders remained stable (data from the Quebec Integrated Chronic Disease Surveillance System).
“Cannabis use during[…]
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