Ottawa pledges millions to study cannabis mental health, pregnancy impacts

Federal Minister of Health Marjorie Michel announced $24 million in funding to create the Canadian Cannabis and Brain Health Consortium. This initiative, supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, will bring together 10 research teams from across Canada. Their collective work will focus on understanding how cannabis affects the brain in individuals of different ages.

The consortium aims to generate scientific evidence regarding both the potential benefits and harms associated with cannabis use. Key areas of study include its effects on epilepsy, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep, overall mental health, and brain development, particularly in youth and during pregnancy. Researchers will also recruit over 3,000 participants of all ages to collect comprehensive data on brain function, mental health, and substance use throughout the lifespan.

Dr. Patricia Conrod, scientific director at CIHR’s Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction, highlighted that the collected data will be made accessible to other Canadian researchers for their own studies. Canadian research into cannabis and its health effects has intensified since the drug's legalization in 2018, but significant knowledge gaps remain. This consortium is expected to significantly advance the understanding of cannabis's potential benefits and harms for the Canadian population by uniting leading experts in brain health and cannabis research.

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It’s bringing together Canada’s top brain health and cannabis researchers in order to really bring us to another place in terms of understanding the potential benefits and the potential harms of cannabis use for our population.