Cannabis cessation among youth: rates, patterns and academic outcomes in a large prospective cohort of Canadian high school students

Introduction Following cannabis legalization in Canada, a better understanding of the prevalence of unprompted cannabis use reduction and subsequent effects on youth academic outcomes is needed to inform harm reduction and health promotion approaches. Methods We analyzed a longitudinally linked sample (n = 91774) from the COMPASS prospective cohort study of Canadian high school students attending Grades 9–12 in Ontario and Alberta between 2013–2014 and 2016–2017. We investigated the prevalence of spontaneous cannabis use reduction and cessation between grade transitions (Grades 9–10, 10–11, 11–12) and the effect of cessation on academic achievement (current or recent math and English course marks) and rigour (usual homework completion and past-month truancy). Results Only 14.8% of cannabis users decreased their use between grades. Of these, two-thirds made only incremental downward changes, a pattern which held true for all three transitions. Cessation rates from daily and weekly use decreased every year. After cessation, students had better odds than continuing users (OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.03– 1.48) and worse odds than never-users (OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.31–0.97) for some subcategories of math performance. Students who quit cannabis universally improved class attendance (OR = 2.48, 95% CI: 1.93–3.19) and homework completion (OR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.85–2.92) compared to continuing users. Conclusion Increased academic rigour may underlie any improvements seen in academic performance after cannabis cessation. High school students who use cannabis likely need targeted support to facilitate reduction or cessation and subsequent academic recovery. This indicates that a school-based focus on cannabis harm reduction is justified.

Factors That Contribute to the Likeliness of Academic Recovery

Institutions of higher education invest a lot of resources into supporting and retaining students, and most colleges and universities offer systems of support for students who struggle academically in the form of support programs for students on academic probation. This study aimed to determine the demographic factors that potentially contribute to an individual’s likeliness to academically recover from academic probation, as well as the likeliness that they will be retained to the semester following being placed on academic probation. The students sample included in this analysis were freshman students on academic probation at five institutions within a state system of higher education. The study reviewed three years’ worth of archival data on probation students’ academic performance at these five participating institutions.

Academic Recovery and Client Perceptions of Group Counselors

This study examined the relationship between group counselor effectiveness (i.e., GPA change) and client perceptions of counselors, using semantic differential ratings. 67 probationary university students participarted in the short-term group counseling program. While this group approach was effective, the counselors were differentially effective. Differences in counselor effectiveness were significantly related to the client-perceived counselor qualities of optimism and responsibility. Results suggested that client perceptions may be useful indicators of a counselor's ability to create conditions necessary for change by clients.