Factors associated with youth opposition or support for cannabis legalization in Lebanon

In 2020, Lebanon initiated the legalization process for the cultivation of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes only. This paper aims to examine the factors associated with youth attitude towards the legalization of medicinal and recreational cannabis in Lebanon. In early 2020, a total of 1,230 young adults aged 18 to 24 participated in an anonymous online survey. The main outcome was the support/opposition of medicinal and recreational cannabis legalization in Lebanon. Participants who were male, non-students, working, and perceived themselves to be relatively well-off were more likely to be in the supportive rather than oppositional group for attitude towards medicinal (p-value < 0.0001). Participants who were also more likely to be supportive of legalization (rather than opposed) were: (1) participants who correctly answered the question regarding the purpose of the legislative change in Lebanon; (2) young adults who perceived cannabis as not harmful; (3) young adults who reported ever using cannabis in combination with alcohol or other drugs; and (4) students who did not think that legalization of cannabis for medicinal use or recreational use would affect their use of other illegal drugs. Young adults surveyed were generally supportive of cannabis legalization coupled with generally good awareness of the potential risks and harms. From an equity perspective, legalization could create disproportionate harms in different groups of young adults, and therefore any legislative changes should be accompanied by implementing robust public health strategies to address knowledge gaps and mitigate risks in young adults.