Abstract
Currently, boys and men use cannabis at higher rates than girls and women, but the gender gap is narrowing. With the legalization of recreational cannabis use in Canada and in multiple US states, these trends call for urgent attention to the need to consider how gender norms, roles and relations influence patterns of cannabis use to inform health promotion and prevention responses. Based on a scoping review on sex, gender and cannabis use, this article consolidates existing evidence from the academic literature on how gender norms, roles and relations impact cannabis-use patterns. Evidence is reviewed on: adherence to dominant masculine and feminine norms and cannabis-use patterns among adolescents and young adults, and how prevailing norms can be both reinstated or reimagined through cannabis use; gendered social dynamics in cannabis-use settings; and the impact of gender roles and relations on cannabis use among young adults of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Findings from the review are compared and contrasted with evidence on gender norms, roles and relations in the context of alcohol and tobacco use. Recommendations for integrating gender transformative principles in health promotion and prevention responses to cannabis use are provided.
Highlights
Similar to other substances, men and boys have higher rates and frequency of cannabis use [1,2,3,4,5,6].Boys and men report using a greater variety of routes of administration of cannabis use compared to women and girls [7] and are more likely to use high-potency products and cannabis concentrates.These patterns of use have been linked with greater risk of developing cannabis-use dependence [8].Young men who use cannabis are more likely to report using alcohol and other substances, which increases the risk of adverse health and social consequences [9]
Details on the n = 21 included studies are provided in Table 1, including information on: country, study design, aims, the dimensions of gender included in the study, and key findings regarding cannabis and gender
Gender dysphoria was associated with cannabis use among both both transgender women and men; among transgender women, gender minority stress was associated with cannabis use
Summary
Men and boys have higher rates and frequency of cannabis use [1,2,3,4,5,6].Boys and men report using a greater variety of routes of administration of cannabis use compared to women and girls [7] and are more likely to use high-potency products and cannabis concentrates.These patterns of use have been linked with greater risk of developing cannabis-use dependence [8].Young men who use cannabis are more likely to report using alcohol and other substances, which increases the risk of adverse health and social consequences [9]. Boys and men report using a greater variety of routes of administration of cannabis use compared to women and girls [7] and are more likely to use high-potency products and cannabis concentrates. These patterns of use have been linked with greater risk of developing cannabis-use dependence [8]. While the current cannabis-use patterns and trends might immediately suggest that policy and practice responses should prioritize the needs of boys and men, emerging evidence reveals the gap in cannabis-use prevalence between women and men is narrowing [11], and similar to other substances, trans and gender-diverse individuals report higher prevalence of cannabis use [12,13]
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