What is a "cannabis user"?

Researchers have employed inconsistent characterizations of cannabis users, and they have significantly under-identified cannabis users in correlational studies on the health effects of cannabis use. The existing body of research is thus generally unreliable for understanding the population health effects of cannabis. 

The cannabis community must create a meaningful characterization of cannabis users that can be adopted by researchers to help standardize studies, and they must ensure study respondents feel safe from repercussions associated with self-identifying as cannabis users. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify how to conceptualize what it means to be a cannabis user for purposes of understanding health effects of cannabis use

2. Interpret why cannabis consumers may fail to self-identify as such in studies

3. Explain why health records and biological testing both fail to accurately identify cannabis consumers