Psychiatrist Calls For Policy Geared At Early Marijuana Interventions

Consultant Psychiatrist at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), Dr. Kunal Lalwani, is calling for the development of a policy geared at early marijuana interventions.

Speaking at a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on Tuesday (March 1), Dr. Lalwani reported that findings from a study he conducted on persons using multiple drugs in Jamaica, showed that the average age of initiation with marijuana use was between 16 and 17 years and that this was likely to lead to other forms of drug use.

Dr. Lalwani, winner of the award for the Best Overall Presentation at the National Health Research Conference 2021, cited the results from the study, titled, ‘Concurrent Polysubstance use in Jamaica – Prevalence, Risk Perception and Associated Factors: A Secondary Analysis of the National Household Survey on Drug Prevalence 2016’.

The objectives of the study were to determine prevalence, risk perception and other associated factors with concurrent polysubstance use (numerous drugs) amongst a national sample of Jamaicans aged 12 to 65 years.

This was done using a secondary analysis of the Jamaica National Drug Prevalence Survey 2016.

The early age of initiation for marijuana use, Dr. Lalwani pointed out, was key, as early use of marijuana often led to the use of other substances and was the most likely of the three substances that were studied (marijuana, tobacco and alcohol) to do so.

He also indicated that the research findings were peculiar to Jamaica, especially in light of a similar study that was conducted within the Latin American region and studies in other parts of the world.

“That is a very important take-home point that I want everyone to understand. In our country, the finding is that marijuana is uniquely involved in the polydrug combination, which is something that has not been replicated in other countries of the world,” Dr. Lalwani said.

“Therefore, it is upon us to recognise that and create early interventions that can be galvanised and used in the youngsters to prevent what could be a more significant problem as we go forward,” he added.

The Consultant Psychiatrist said the research “also allows us to consider the persons who are polydrug users as a subset of the substance-use argument and messaging that we hope to put out in the public sphere”.

He noted that much of what is captured in the public discourse highlights single substances, “whether cannabis or alcohol or the impact of cigarettes, but now we need to consider those individuals who use all of these substances, or a combination of two or more”.

This information, he added, will facilitate a look at policies that can be geared towards assisting these individuals.

The findings showed that 19 per cent of respondents used two or more drugs in their lifetime. Further analyses reported polysubstance use was statistically significantly higher amongst males, especially those living in rural areas. Ease of access to marijuana as being “easy” was statistically significant.

The research also showed that persons with moderate to high-risk perception of marijuana were 58 per cent times less likely to use the substance and that those with friends or family members who take illegal drugs were four times more likely to engage in polydrug behaviour.