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Closing Research Gaps on Cannabis and Mental Health – Veteran-Specific Findings

Over the past five years, the MHCC has led a pan-Canadian research program to assess the impact of cannabis legalization and its use on the mental health of diverse populations. This document synthesizes key themes that emerged from six studies that explored the relationship between cannabis and mental health among Veterans in Canada.

According to these studies, Canadian Veterans are significantly impacted by a range of physical and mental health conditions, which medical cannabis is frequently used to manage. While over time, medical and recreational cannabis use have significantly increased among Veterans compared to other groups, little research into the Veteran experience exists. These studies begin to fill this gap.

Key findings:

  1. Veterans use cannabis for many reasons and experience a range of benefits and harms.
  2. The relationship between cannabis use and trauma is unique and nuanced for Veterans.
  3. Barriers to accessing medical cannabis persist after legalization.
  4. Stigma prevents many Veterans from accessing formal health-care supports.

Interested in the other reports in this series? Find them here!

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