Cannabis-related arrests and convictions in Canada
Differences by race/ethnicity, individual socioeconomic factors, and neighborhood deprivation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15414980 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Fathima Fataar (University of Waterloo), Pete Driezen (0000-0003-2320-0999, University of Waterloo), Akwasi Owusu‐bempah (0000-0003-4237-3422, University of Toronto), D Hammond (0000-0001-8197-6010, University of Waterloo, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 910-929 |
| Publication date | 2024-01-08 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1533-2640 • E-ISSN: 1533-2659 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/15332640.2023.2293938 |
| PMID | 38189679 |
| OpenAlex | W4390673623 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 14 |
Racialized individuals were disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition in Canada; however, the role of socioeconomic factors and neighborhood deprivation are not well understood. The current study examined race/ethnicity, individual socioeconomic factors, and neighborhood deprivation in relation to arrests and convictions for cannabis-related offenses. Repeat cross-sectional data were analyzed from two waves of the International Cannabis Policy Study (ICPS), a web-based survey conducted in 2019 ( n = 12,226) and 2020 ( n = 12,815) in Canada among those aged 16 to 65. Respondents were recruited through commercial online panels. Respondents' postal codes were linked to the INSPQ deprivation index. Multinomial regression models examined the association between race/ethnicity, individual socioeconomic factors, neighborhood deprivation, and lifetime arrests or convictions for cannabis offenses. Overall, 4.4% of respondents reported a lifetime arrest or conviction for a cannabis-related offense. Black and Indigenous individuals had more than three times the odds of conviction than White individuals (AOR = 3.90, 95% CI = 2.07-7.35, p = p = p = 0.01; AOR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.27-0.92, p = 0.03, respectively). Arrests and convictions for cannabis-related offenses were disproportionately higher among racialized individuals and those living in the most marginalized neighborhoods. Future research should examine whether inequities change following the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada
Cannabis · Conviction · Environmental health · Ethnic group · Injury prevention · Logistic regression · Odds · Odds ratio · Poison control · Political science · Population · Psychiatry · Race (biology · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Demography · Homelessness and Social Issues · Medicine · Psychology · Internal Medicine
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| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |