Changes in cannabis use post decriminalisation in mental health care users in South Africa.

IF 1 4区医学 Q4 PSYCHIATRY

South African Journal of Psychiatry Pub Date : 2025-03-10 eCollection Date: 2025-01-01 DOI:10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v31i0.2305

Rachel Moshori, Lisa Galvin, Laila Paruk

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Personal cannabis use was decriminalised in South Africa in 2018. Cannabis use increases the risk of mental illness (MI) and worsens prognosis in patients with MI. The impact of decriminalisation on cannabis use remains unclear.

Aim: To examine cannabis use patterns by self-report and urine multidrug screening (UMDS) among psychiatric inpatients at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH).

Setting: CHBAH, Soweto, South Africa.

Methods: A retrospective review of clinical records comparing patients admitted to CHBAH psychiatry pre- and post-decriminalisation.

Results: A total of 244 patients were included, with 57% using cannabis based on self-report and/or UMDS. Although not significant, overall cannabis use was higher post-decriminalisation (63.1%) than pre-decriminalisation (50.8%). Self-reported use increased slightly post-decriminalisation (56.6% vs. 50.0%), while UMDS-confirmed use was significantly higher (32.8% vs. 17.2%). Cannabis use was associated with male gender and younger age, with younger admissions post-decriminalisation.

Conclusion: Decriminalisation did not significantly increase overall or self-reported cannabis use; however, more patients tested positive on UMDS post-decriminalisation. Young males remain at higher risk of cannabis use.

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南非精神健康护理使用者在大麻非刑罪化后的大麻使用变化。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

South African Journal of Psychiatry 医学-精神病学

CiteScore

1.60

自引率

10.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： The journal is the leading psychiatric journal of Africa. It provides open-access scholarly reading for psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and all with an interest in mental health. It carries empirical and conceptual research articles, reviews, editorials, and scientific letters related to psychiatry. It publishes work from various places in the world, and makes special provision for the interests of Africa. It seeks to serve its readership and researchers with the most topical content in psychiatry for clinical practice and academic pursuits, including work in the subspecialty areas of psychiatry.