Author(s)

Rawan Hassunah, James McIntosh

Economics Department, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Data from the 2013 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, and two other surveys are used to determine the effects of cannabis use on self-reported physical and mental health. Daily or almost daily marijuana use is shown to be detrimental to both measures of health for some age groups but not all. The age group specific effects depend on gender. Males and females respond differently to cannabis use. The health costs of regularly using cannabis are significant but they are much smaller than those associated with tobacco use. These costs are attributed to both the presence of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol and the fact that smoking cannabis is itself a health hazard because of the toxic properties of the smoke ingested. Cannabis use is costlier to regular smokers and age of first use below the age of 15 or 20 and being a former user leads to reduced physical and mental capacities which are permanent. These results strongly suggest that the legalization of marijuana be accompanied by educational programs, counseling services, and a delivery system, which minimizes juvenile and young adult usage.

Marijuana, Sample Survey Data, Canada

Hassunah, R. and McIntosh, J. (2016) Quality of Life and Cannabis Use: Results from Canadian Sample Survey Data. Health, 8, 1576-1588. doi: 10.4236/health.2016.814155.