Table 3.
Medical help-seeking for adverse events from cannabis use among people who consumed cannabis in the past 12 months, 2018–2021
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
| n=2560 | n=4937 | n=4933 | n=5677 | |
| Sought any medical help for health effect* | 5.0% (128) | 5.5% (272) | 4.2% (210) | 4.5% (253) |
| Panic reactions | 30.2% (39) | 32.1% (87) | 30.0% (63) | 30.9% (78) |
| Feeling faint or dizzy or passing out | 29.6% (38) | 36.5% (99) | 35.2% (74) | 29.6% (75) |
| Heart or blood pressure problems | 29.5% (38) | 28.4% (77) | 25.6% (54) | 27.9% (71) |
| Hallucinations/psychosis | 27.2% (35) | 14.6% (40) | 21.7% (46) | 12.0% (33) |
| Nausea and/or vomiting | 21.6% (28) | 21.2% (58) | 22.4% (47) | 24.9% (63) |
| Dissociation/depersonalisation | 15.2% (19) | 7.1% (19) | 13.9% (29) | 6.2% (16) |
| Flashbacks | 12.8% (16) | 12.3% (34) | 11.3% (24) | 13.9% (35) |
| Depression | 11.8% (15) | 19.0% (52) | 25.2% (53) | 19.0% (48) |
| Lung or breathing problems | NA | NA | 7.4% (16) | 8.2% (21) |
| Other | 7.4% (9) | 2.0% (5) | 0.4% (1) | 1.0% (3) |
| Source of help among those who sought medical help | n=128 | n=272 | n=210 | n=253 |
| Emergency room† | 44.7% (57) | 58.4% (159) | 59.6% (120) | 66.1% (168) |
| ‘Any other source of medical help’‡ | NA | 83.1% (216) | 83.6% (172) | 88.3% (223) |
| Doctor or other health professional | NA | 40.0% (104) | 37.2% (76) | 48.1% (122) |
| Walk-in clinic | NA | 33.9% (88) | 37.0% (76) | 30.6% (77) |
| Poison centre | NA | 21.4% (55) | 17.6% (36) | 25.8% (65) |
| Telephone health service/helpline | NA | 14.7% (38) | 19.9% (41) | 21.9% (55) |
| Addiction support service | NA | 8.4% (22) | 12.6% (26) | 10.6% (27) |
| Other | NA | 0.5% (1) | 0.0% (0) | 0.0% (0) |
*10 excluded in 2018, 34 excluded in 2019, 41 excluded in 2020 and 37 excluded in 2021 due to ‘refused’.
†1 excluded in 2019 and 2 excluded in 2020 due to ‘refused’.
‡11 ‘refused’ in 2019, 1 ‘refused’ in 2020 and 1 ‘refused’ in 2021.
NA, not asked.