Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35316855›Full record

ArticleDrug and alcohol review2022

Interrupted time series analysis of Canadian legal cannabis sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michael J Armstrong, Nathan Cantor, Brendan T Smith, Rebecca Jesseman, Erin Hobin, Daniel T Myran

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Drug and alcohol review, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Observational
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Michael J ArmstrongGoodman School of Business, Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-6293-4197
Nathan CantorClinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-7857-0770
Brendan T SmithDalla School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-2785-1246
Rebecca JessemanCanadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction, Ottawa, Canada.
Erin HobinHealth Promotion, Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Public Health Ontario, Public Health Ontario, Toronto, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-6335-2984
Daniel T MyranClinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-8038-300X

Funding

CIHR 452360
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThere were repeated reports of increased cannabis sales, use and health impacts in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it was unclear whether the increases were due to pandemic effects or industry expansion.

methodsWe performed interrupted time series regressions of monthly per capita legal cannabis sales from March 2019 to February 2021, first with national averages, then with provincial/territorial data after adjusting for store density. We considered two interruption alternatives: January 2020, when product variety increased; and March 2020, when pandemic restrictions began.

resultsThe provincial/territorial regression with the January interruption explained R DISCUSSION AND

conclusionsIncreasing cannabis sales during the pandemic was consistent with pre-existing trends and increasing store numbers. The extra increased growth was more aligned with January's new product arrivals than with March's pandemic measures, though the latter cannot be ruled out. We found little evidence of pandemic impacts on Canada's aggregate legal cannabis sales. We therefore caution against attributing increased population-level cannabis use or health impacts primarily to the pandemic.

Indexed as

CannabisCOVID-19CanadaHumansInterrupted Time Series AnalysisPandemicscannabisCOVID-19 pandemichealth economicsinterrupted time series analysislegalisation

Identifiers

PMID35316855
PMCPMC9111650

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.