What are the most common cannabis use disorders for which Australians are hospitalised?
Two types of cannabis use disorders resulted in hospital separations in 2020-21. These were ‘mental and behavioural disorders due to the use of cannabinoids’ (accounting for 6,871 or 92% of separations), and ‘poisoning by cannabis’ (accounting for 617 or 8% of separations).
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). National Hospital Morbidity Database, 2020-21 (NCETA secondary analysis, 2022).
Cannabis Use Disorder: A disease, disorder or condition which was directly caused by the individual’s own cannabis use.
Hospital Separation: An episode of care for an admitted patient, which can be:
- a total hospital stay (from admission to discharge, transfer or death); or
- a portion of a hospital stay beginning or ending in a change of type of care (for example, from acute to rehabilitation).
Separation also means the process by which an admitted patient completes an episode of care either by being discharged, transferring to another hospital, changing type of care, or dying.