Closing Research Gaps on Cannabis and Mental Health – Research Challenges

Over the past five years, the MHCC has led a pan-Canadian program to assess the impact of cannabis legalization and use on the mental health of diverse populations. This document synthesizes the unique challenges teams experienced while conducting research in a newly legalized environment during a global pandemic. Researchers continue to call for more public funding of cannabis research to ensure that the public receives timely, accurate, representative, and unbiased information about cannabis and its potential therapeutic benefits and harms for mental health

Key findings:

1. A newly legalized and regulated environment led to many unanticipated research delays and challenges.
2. The COVID-19 pandemic caused immediate delays and additional research challenges.
3. Despite the legalization of cannabis, persistent fear and stigma presented an additional barrier to participant recruitment and engagement.
4. Despite challenges, research teams persisted and used innovative approaches.

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