12-Month Follow-up of an Exploratory \u27Brief Intervention\u27 for High-Frequency Cannabis Users among Canadian University Students

Background: One in three young people use cannabis in Canada. Cannabis use can be associated with a variety ofhealth problems which occur primarily among intensive/frequent users. Availability and effectiveness ofconventional treatment for cannabis use is limited. While Brief Interventions (BIs) have been shown to result inshort-term reductions of cannabis use risks or problems, few studies have assessed their longer-term effects. Thepresent study examined 12-month follow-up outcomes for BIs in a cohort of young Canadian high-frequencycannabis users where select short-term effects (3 months) had previously been assessed and demonstrated. Findings: N= 134 frequent cannabis users were recruited from among university students in Toronto, randomized toeither an oral or a written cannabis BI, or corresponding health controls, and assessed in-person at baseline, 3-months,and 12-months. N= 72 (54 %) of the original sample were retained for follow-up analyses at 12-months wherereductions in ‘deep inhalation/breathholding’ (Q = 13.1; p<.05) and ‘driving after cannabis use’ (Q = 9.3; p<.05) wereobserved in the experimental groups. Reductions for these indicators had been shown at 3-months in the experimentalgroups; these reductions were maintained over the year. Other indicators assessed remained overall stable in bothexperimental and control groups. Conclusions: The results confirm findings from select other studies indicating the potential for longer-term andsustained risk reduction effects of BIs for cannabis use. While further research is needed on the long-term effects of BIs,these may be a valuable – and efficient – intervention tool in a public health approach to high-risk cannabis use. &nbsp