Impact of criminalisation of cannabis to the wellbeing of youth: A mapping review

This is a protocol for a mapping review with the following abstract: Objective: This mapping review aims to identify micro, meso, and macro level outcomes related to cannabis laws and underage youth cannabis use. The analysis will map out the population, geographic location of the study, legal framework associated with the study location, and the outcomes related to the laws in the country/region of study that impact youth as it pertains to cannabis use. Introduction: The 2018 Cannabis Act (the Act) legalised recreational cannabis use and supply for people in Canada over the legal age set in their province/territory. The Act made lawful cannabis use for the majority of people in the country. Yet it remains illegal for youth under the legal age – 18 or 19 years old, depending on the Province/Territory, except Quebec where the age is 21. A growing body of evidence has found that prohibitive policies like the Act, that criminalise cannabis for youth can create, maintain, and exacerbate harms unintentionally against youth who use this substance. These harms are most pronounced for youth who face multiple forms of structural marginalisation, such as racism, homophobia, housing precarity, and intersecting mental health challenges. Inclusion criteria: The review will include studies published after 2001 involving youth across the globe who are under the age of 19 – minors in many countries where legislation related to cannabis use exists. To be included, the study must examine the impacts of legalisation, criminalisation, or decriminalisation of medical or recreational cannabis in the study’s country or region of focus. Methods: The mapping review will be conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews (JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis - JBI Global Wiki, n.d.). A systematic search will be conducted in 5 databases including MEDLINE, APA PsycInfo, Web of Science Core Collection, Sociological Abstracts and Lens.org. Study selection will be conducted in duplicate using Covidence software. Data extraction will be conducted according to the template presented in Appendix 2. The results will be presented in tables describing population, context (geographic location), legal framework, report type, and the outcome associated with the legal context of cannabis use.