Home Cultivation of Cannabis in a Context of Prohibition: Results from Two Online Cross-Sectional Surveys of People Using Cannabis Daily in France

Martin Bastien (), Salim Mezaache, Cécile Donadille, Laélia Briand Madrid, Maëla Lebrun, Victor Martin and Perrine Roux
Additional contact information
Martin Bastien: Sciences Economiques & Sociales de la Santé & Traitement de L’information Médicale—SESSTIM, INSERM, IRD, ISSPAM, Aix-Marseille Université, Faculté des Sciences Médicales et Paramédicales, 13385 Marseille, France
Salim Mezaache: Sciences Economiques & Sociales de la Santé & Traitement de L’information Médicale—SESSTIM, INSERM, IRD, ISSPAM, Aix-Marseille Université, Faculté des Sciences Médicales et Paramédicales, 13385 Marseille, France
Cécile Donadille: Sciences Economiques & Sociales de la Santé & Traitement de L’information Médicale—SESSTIM, INSERM, IRD, ISSPAM, Aix-Marseille Université, Faculté des Sciences Médicales et Paramédicales, 13385 Marseille, France
Laélia Briand Madrid: Sciences Economiques & Sociales de la Santé & Traitement de L’information Médicale—SESSTIM, INSERM, IRD, ISSPAM, Aix-Marseille Université, Faculté des Sciences Médicales et Paramédicales, 13385 Marseille, France
Maëla Lebrun: Association Bus 31/32, 13005 Marseille, France
Victor Martin: Association Bus 31/32, 13005 Marseille, France
Perrine Roux: Sciences Economiques & Sociales de la Santé & Traitement de L’information Médicale—SESSTIM, INSERM, IRD, ISSPAM, Aix-Marseille Université, Faculté des Sciences Médicales et Paramédicales, 13385 Marseille, France

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 8, 1-16

Abstract: In recent decades, European countries have seen a substantial increase in home cultivation of cannabis. In France, the prevalence of cannabis use continues to increase despite its possession, sale, and cultivation being strictly illegal. The present study aimed to describe the profile and motivations of people in France who cultivate cannabis at home. We separately analyzed data from two convenience samples of people who use cannabis daily in France, based on two online cross-sectional surveys. In the first analysis (N = 3840), we used a multivariable logistic regression model to assess factors associated with home cultivation as the main source of cannabis supply. In the second analysis (N = 574), we described participants’ motivations for home cultivation and their cultivation patterns. In the two samples, 11% and 16% reported home cultivation as their main source of supply, respectively. Age, male gender, stable housing, living with a partner, consuming cannabis in herbal form, smoking joints with little or no tobacco, smoking cannabis from a bong or pipe, non-smoking modes of cannabis administration, and using cannabis exclusively for therapeutic reasons were all positively associated with home cultivation, while urban area of residence and at-risk alcohol use were negatively associated. The main reason reported for home cultivation was to manage quality. Few reported selling some of their crop, and most were self-sufficient. Finally, we interpret this practice as a personal response to cannabis prohibition and the unregulated market. Accordingly, possible harm reduction strategies are discussed.

Keywords: cannabis use; home cultivation; cannabis quality; self-regulation; harm reduction; web-based survey; France (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/8/1167/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/8/1167/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:8:p:1167-:d:1708465

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().