Predictors of Change in Cannabis Use Status from Pre- to Post-Recreational Cannabis Legalization in Canada: Evidence from a Two-Wave Longitudinal National Survey.

Objective: In October 2018, the Government of Canada legalized cannabis for recreational use nationwide. The effects of legalization on cannabis use have been primarily assessed through cross-sectional surveys.

Method: In the present study, a two-wave longitudinal design was used to explore potential demographic, substance use and behavioral addiction, and mental health predictors of change in cannabis use status following legalization.

Treatment of harmful gambling: a scoping review of United Kingdom-based intervention research.

Background: Understanding and treating the harm caused by gambling is a growing international psychiatric and public health challenge. Treatment of gambling harm may involve psychological and pharmacological intervention, in conjunction with peer support. This scoping review was conducted to identify, for the first time, the characteristics and extent of United Kingdom (UK) based gambling treatment research.

Predictors of problem gambling remission in adults: A Canadian longitudinal study.

Objective: Remission from problem gambling (PG) continues to be a priority of clinicians and researchers. Data from cross-sectional studies indicate that some correlates are more predictive of PG, and existing longitudinal studies have exclusively examined risk factors that predict emergence of PG. This study's objective is to fill in the remaining pieces of the puzzle by identifying factors that might facilitate remission from PG.

Harm Minimization Training, Knowledge, and Behaviour of Canadian Casino Employees.

Casino employees regularly interact with problem and at-risk gamblers and thus have considerable potential to both prevent and reduce gambling-related harm. While harm minimization (HM) and responsible gambling (RG) are routinely espoused by the casino industry, the actual level of employee HM/RG training, knowledge, and behaviour is unknown. The present study investigated this issue in the Canadian context by examining employee surveys collected by the RG Check accreditation program (8,262 surveys from 78 Canadian casinos/racinos collected between 2011 and 2020).

Problem gambling severity, gambling behavior, substance use, and mental health in gamblers who do and do not use cannabis: Evidence from a Canadian national sample.

Introduction: Cannabis use frequently co-occurs with gambling, and evidence indicates that both acute and chronic cannabis use may influence gambling behavior. The primary aim of the present study was to further contribute to the literature on this relationship by examining data collected from a Canadian national study of gambling.

Methods: Respondents consisted of 10,054 Canadian gamblers recruited from Leger Opinion's (LEO) online panel.

Making Change: Attempts to Reduce or Stop Gambling in a General Population Sample of People Who Gamble.

Objective: This study examined past year attempts to reduce or quit gambling among people who gamble generally and those with gambling problems specifically.

Methods: Regular gamblers recruited from an online panel ( = 10,054) completed a survey of gambling, mental health and substance use comorbidity and attempts to reduce or quit gambling. The sample was weighted to match the gambling and demographic profile for the same subsample (i.

Etiology of problem gambling in Canada.

Objective: To conduct a large-scale national cohort study to identify the current etiological risk factors for problem gambling in Canada.

Method: A cohort of 10,119 Canadian gamblers completed a comprehensive self-administered online questionnaire in 2018 and were reassessed in 2019. At baseline, the sample contained 1,388 at-risk gamblers, 1,346 problem gamblers, and 2,710 with a major DSM-5 mental health disorder.

Gambling treatment service providers' views about contingency management: a thematic analysis.

Background: There is a need to improve retention and outcomes for treatment of problem gambling and gambling disorder. Contingency management (CM) is a behavioural intervention involving identification of target behaviours (such as attendance, abstinence, or steps towards recovery) and the provision of incentives (such as vouchers or credits towards the purchase of preferred items) contingent on objective evidence of these behaviours. Contingency management for abstinence and attendance in substance misuse treatment has a substantial evidence base but has not been widely adopted or extended to other addictive behaviours such as gambling.

Gambling in Canada During the COVID Lockdown: Prospective National Survey.

The current study investigated the impact of the COVID pandemic lockdown on gambling and problem gambling in Canada. The AGRI National Project's online panel participants (N = 3449) provided baseline gambling data 6 months prior to the pandemic. Re-surveying this sample during the lockdown provided an opportunity to make quantitative comparisons of the changes.

Responsible Gambling in Canada: An Analysis of the RG Check Patron Surveys.

This study analyzed the Responsible Gambling Check patron survey data from Canadian casinos and racinos collected from 2011-2019 (18,580 patrons and 75 venues). The results indicated increasing awareness and use over time of harm minimization tools among more frequent patrons. Despite these promising trends, it is concerning that a substantial percentage of gamblers are still unaware of the harm minimization tools available.

Indigenous Gambling and Problem Gambling in Canada.

The present study provides a profile of Canadian Indigenous gambling and problem gambling using the 2018 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) (n = 23,952 adults; 1,324 Indigenous) and an online panel survey of 10,199 gamblers (n = 589 Indigenous). The relative popularity of different types of gambling was similar between Indigenous and non-Indigenous samples. However, there was higher Indigenous participation in electronic gambling machines (EGMs), bingo, instant lotteries, overall gambling and a higher rate of problem gambling (2.

Predictors of gambling and problem gambling in Canada.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to provide an updated profile of gamblers and problem gamblers in Canada and to identify characteristics most strongly associated with problem gambling.

Methods: An assessment of gambling participation and problem gambling was included in the 2018 Canadian Community Health Survey and administered to 23,952 individuals 18 years and older. Descriptive statistics provided a demographic profile for each type of gambling involvement as well as category of gambler (non-gambler, non-problem gambler, at-risk gambler, problem gambler).

Gambling and Problem Gambling in Canada in 2018: Prevalence and Changes Since 2002.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to provide an updated profile of gambling and problem gambling in Canada and to examine how the rates and pattern of participation compare to 2002.

Method: An assessment of gambling and problem gambling was included in the 2018 Canadian Community Health Survey and administered to 24,982 individuals aged 15 and older. The present analyses selected for adults (18+).

The Effects of Perceived Gambling Availability on Problem Gambling Severity.

The aim of this study was to determine the moderating effects of sociodemographic characteristics, substance use, and psychosocial problems on the relationship between perceived gambling availability and problem gambling severity. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses of the 2008 and 2009 Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Alberta surveys found problem gambling severity was 1.25-1.

Protocol for a feasibility study investigating the UCalgary's : education and harm reduction initiative for postsecondary students.

Introduction: High rates of cannabis consumption among emerging adults in Canada represent an important public health issue. As part of the legalisation of cannabis, health objectives were established by the Government of Canada including reducing risky patterns of consumption and cannabis related harm among vulnerable populations. Despite these ambitions, few evidenced based education programmes have been evaluated in the literature.

Can Slot-Machine Reward Schedules Induce Gambling Addiction in Rats?

Similar to drugs of abuse, random-ratio reward schedules are highly motivating and, in humans, are thought to foster gambling addiction. Animal gambling models, however, have not yet demonstrated the compulsivity so characteristic of drug addiction. Three criteria have been used to evaluate addiction-like behavior in drug models: (1) response inhibition when reward is not available, (2) persistence under a progressive ratio schedule, in which the response-to-reward ratio is stretched, and (3) persistence in spite of punishment.

The Multidimensional Structure of Problem Gambling: An Evaluation of Four Gambling Categorization Instruments from an International Online Survey of Gamblers.

To examine the underlying dimensionality and structure of problem gambling using a comprehensive range of problem gambling assessments from an international online survey of gamblers. A total of 12,521 gamblers from 105 countries were recruited through banner advertising placed on a popular online gambling portal to take an online survey. Although participants were recruited online, the majority of the sample (71.

Piloting the addition of contingency management to best practice counselling as an adjunct treatment for rural and remote disordered gamblers: study protocol.

Introduction: Problematic gambling is a significant Canadian public health concern that causes harm to the gambler, their families, and society. However, a significant minority of gambling treatment seekers drop out prior to the issue being resolved; those with higher impulsivity scores have the highest drop-out rates. Consequently, retention is a major concern for treatment providers.

Initial examination of priming tasks to decrease delay discounting.

Steep discounting of delayed rewards is linked with a variety of unhealthy behaviors that contribute to the major causes of preventable death and disease. Growing evidence suggests that decreases in delay discounting contribute to healthier preferences. This study sought to provide preliminary evidence for the viability of developing a brief priming task to reduce delay discounting in a large, diverse group of individuals.

Consumer Perspectives on Gambling Harm Minimisation Measures in an Australian Jurisdiction.

This paper investigates consumer perspectives of implemented and proposed gambling harm minimisation measures taken from a geographically stratified survey of adult residents in Tasmania, Australia. Electronic gaming machine (EGM) gamblers were asked whether current and proposed EGM harm minimisation measures impacted on their actual or anticipated gambling expenditure and enjoyment. Participants were analysed based on their endorsement of Problem Gambling Severity Index criteria (scores 0-27), and categorised as non-problem gamblers (score 0), low-risk gamblers (scores 1-2), and moderate/problem gamblers (scores 3+).

Prevalence of psychiatric co-morbidity in treatment-seeking problem gamblers: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: The aim of this paper was to systematically review and meta-analyse the prevalence of co-morbid psychiatric disorders (DSM-IV Axis I disorders) among treatment-seeking problem gamblers.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted for peer-reviewed studies that provided prevalence estimates of Axis I psychiatric disorders in individuals seeking psychological or pharmacological treatment for problem gambling (including pathological gambling). Meta-analytic techniques were performed to estimate the weighted mean effect size and heterogeneity across studies.

Gambling Participation and Problem Gambling Severity in a Stratified Random Survey: Findings from the Second Social and Economic Impact Study of Gambling in Tasmania.

Demographic characteristics associated with gambling participation and problem gambling severity were investigated in a stratified random survey in Tasmania, Australia. Computer-assisted telephone interviews were conducted in March 2011 resulting in a representative sample of 4,303 Tasmanian residents aged 18 years or older. Overall, 64.

Adding an Internet-delivered treatment to an efficacious treatment package for opioid dependence.

Objective: To examine the benefit of adding an Internet-delivered behavior therapy to a buprenorphine medication program and voucher-based motivational incentives.

Method: A block-randomized, unblinded, parallel, 12-week treatment trial was conducted with 170 opioid-dependent adult patients (mean age = 34.3 years; 54.

Delay discounting rates: a strong prognostic indicator of smoking relapse.

Background: Recent evidence suggests that several dimensions of impulsivity and locus of control are likely to be significant prognostic indicators of relapse.

Method: One-hundred and thirty-one treatment seeking smokers were enrolled in six weeks of multi-component cognitive-behavioral therapy with eight weeks of nicotine replacement therapy.

Analysis: Cox proportional hazard regressions were used to model days to relapse with each of the following: delay discounting of $100, delay discounting of $1000, six subscales of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), Rotter's Locus of Control (RLOC), Fagerstrom's Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).