Abstract
Objectives: This project consisted of 3 waves of cross-sectional studies with the following
objectives: 1) To describe patterns of cannabis use; 2) To describe access to cannabis; 3) To
describe effects of cannabis use to self and households; 4) To describe the exposure to
marketig, awareness, and opinions pertaining to cannabis and cannabis control measures in
Thailand; 5) To describe differences in prevalence of cannabis use and attitude according to
demographic characteristics
Methods: Investigators sampled study areas using stratified two-stage cluster sampling. Village
health volunteers from primary care centers in sampled areas facilitated the investigators'
access to the population aged 20 years or over in sampled areas. Data collectors either asked
the participants to self-administer the questionnaires (among those who were literate in the
Thai language) and face-to-face interview (among those illiterate in the Thai language).
Results: The surveys included approximately 2,200 participants per round in 3 rounds (total =
approximately 6,600 participants). Approximately 30 percent of participants used cannabis in
their lifetime, and 15 percent used cannabis within 12 months prior to the survey (i.e., current
users). The most common method of cannabis use in the Thai population was eating or
drinking, followed by smoking. Approximately 90 percent of the participants supported
cannabis control measures akin to alcohol control measures (e.g., no driving after cannabis
use, prohibition of use by civil servants during duty hours).
Discussion and Conclusion: The strength of this study was the population representativeness
of the study participants. The cannabis use in this study was significantly higher than the selfreported prevalence during the war on drugs. However, lack of details regarding measurement
of cannabis dosage, details regarding use, and the influence of social desirability bias are
limitations in the study findings.
