Socio-demographic, health and drug use characteristics among people with different frequency patterns of cannabis use in Brazil

Abstract

Data on cannabis use patterns and health outcome indicators for Brazil are limited. We undertook a cross-sectional internet-based survey assessing socio-demographics, cannabis use frequency, other drug use, quality-of-life (QOL), affective states (i.e. anxiety and depression), and cannabis use disorder among adult respondents in Brazil. A multinomial logistic regression was conducted using cannabis frequency status as the dependent variable. A total of 6876 responders were identified as people with occasional (n = 1088), regular (n = 1062), and frequent (n = 4726) cannabis use. Groups differed greatly on sociodemographic characteristics and other drug use rates. Cannabis use disorder (p < 0.001), early-onset of cannabis use (aOR:1.71), and other substance use (aOR: from 1.53 to 2.59) were associated with a higher frequency of cannabis use. We did not find major differences in psychosocial and mental health outcomes as related to the frequency of cannabis use. Our results suggest that early initiation of cannabis, high use frequency, and using cannabis with other substances may elevate the risk for cannabis use disorder. Given the generally liberalizing trends for cannabis use, it is timely and appropriate to further study cannabis use and related outcomes in Brazil, considering that available indicators for this country are limited.