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Adolescent cannabis use and young adult healthcare use in a population-based birth cohort linked to healthcare administrative records

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 August 2025

P. Martinez*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute
M.-C. Geoffroy
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute
C. Temcheff
Affiliation:
Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University
S. Côté
Affiliation:
École de Santé Publique, University of Montreal, Montreal
R. Tremblay
Affiliation:
Research Unit on Children’s Psychosocial Maladjustment, Québec, Canada School of Public Health, Physiotherapy, and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
M. Boivin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Université Laval, Quebec
M. Orri
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Evidence links early adolescent cannabis use (CU) to long-term health risks, but most studies lack comprehensive early-life confounder data and rely on subjective health measures.

Objectives

To assess the association between adolescent CU trajectories and healthcare use for physical and mental health problems (P&MHP) in young adulthood.

Methods

Data from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a 23-year population-based birth cohort (N = 1,591), were linked to healthcare administrative records (hospitalizations, outpatient, and ER visits). CU trajectories (exposure) were derived from age of onset and frequency data (ages 12-17) using group-based trajectory modeling. Missing data on pre-exposure confounders were multiply imputed. Overlap-weighted logistic regression was used to assess the adjusted associations between these trajectories and healthcare use for P&MHP between ages 18-23.

Results

Three CU trajectories were identified: non-users, late users, and early users (Figure 1). Early users had a higher risk of healthcare use for any mental disorder (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.17-2.06), common mental disorders (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.19-2.39), substance-related disorders (OR 2.25, 95% 1.24-4.10), and hospitalizations for physical diseases (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.03-2.38) compared to non-users. No significant differences were found between late and non-users.

Image 1:

Conclusions

These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions during adolescence to mitigate long-term health risks. Prevention efforts should prioritize early users, and be focused on integrated social, mental, and physical care.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

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Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of European Psychiatric Association
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