Qualitative Research on Cannabis Use Among Youth: A Methodological Review

Abstract

Recreational cannabis legalization has encouraged research regarding cannabis use among youth, especially the use of qualitative approaches. In fact, alcohol and drug use journals have recently encouraged qualitative submissions and provided criteria to ensure “high-quality” research. This study provides an objective account of the qualitative approaches used by researchers in this field and discusses implications for future research. A methodological review was conducted for studies published between January 2010 and November 2019. Targeted keyword searches in four research databases returned 1956 unique records. Pairs of reviewers independently screened records against eligibility criteria and charted data for study philosophical positioning, methodology, study aims, sampling, sample, data collection, and data analysis. 23 studies met the inclusion criteria. Several gaps in study quality criteria are observed: less than half of the studies specified the overarching methodology and just two stated philosophical positioning, with some methods unjustified. Implications for future research are discussed.