Introduction
Since non-medical cannabis was legalized in 2018, Canadian emerging adults between the ages of 20–24 have continued to report the highest rates of past-year (50%) and daily or almost daily cannabis consumption (37%), with an average age of first-time consumption at 20.5 years [Emerging adults who consume cannabis daily or almost daily are at an increased risk of experiencing harm to their cognitive health, brain development, physical health, and mental health. Specifically, cannabis consumption in emerging adulthood (up to 25 years of age) has potential harms for the developing brain [Given that certain cannabis consumption behaviours can be associated with increased risks of harm, it is important for the general public to have access to reliable and evidence-based information, so individuals can make informed decisions and guide their consumption using harm reduction approaches. To help accomplish this, the Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines (LRCUG) were developed, and contain a series of evidence-based guidelines and recommendations on reducing the risk of cannabis-related harms. The LRCUG contains twelve recommendations [Given that Canadian emerging adults have high consumption rates and are at a greater risk of experiencing cannabis-related harms, it is important to have a better understanding of this age group’s perceptions of higher-risk cannabis consumption behaviours. The LRCUG provides a strong evidence base in identifying specific higher-risk cannabis consumption behaviours and ways to mitigate potential harms. Previous vignette-based survey research has highlighted that emerging adults may not fully appreciate the risks of frequent cannabis consumption on mental health, cognitive health, or brain development [The current study builds on previous research on perceptions of potential harms by using an experimental vignette design to assess Canadian emerging adults’ perceived risk of five LRCUG behaviours that received an evidence grade of “moderate” or higher [