Background: Little is known about the characteristics and predisposing factors of individuals who seek help to manage problems associated with cannabis use.
Objectives: The current study examined the percentage of cannabis consumers who sought help to manage cannabis-related problems, the most common sources of help sought, and factors associated with seeking help.
Methods: A total of 13,612 past 12-month cannabis consumers completed the 2022 wave of the International Cannabis Policy self-report online survey in Canada and the US. Whether participants sought help to manage cannabis-related problems, what sources of help were sought, perceived addiction to cannabis and the WHO ASSIST scale for problematic cannabis use was also assessed. Logistic regression models examined correlates of help seeking and sources of help.
Results: A total of 9.2% (n= 1211) of individuals sought help from any source and was more common among consumers who perceived themselves to be more addicted to cannabis, were younger, female, ‘White/Caucasian’, less financially stable, and those with less education (p<.05 for all contrasts). Consumers who sought help were most likely to seek help from a doctor/physician (44.9%), followed by online information (29.18%) and other health professionals (i.e., psychologist, 26%). Consumers who resided in a state where cannabis is recreationally legal were more likely to seek help than those in nonlegal jurisdictions.
Implications: Few consumers report seeking help to manage their cannabis use problems with higher levels of help seeking in jurisdictions with more permissive cannabis laws.