Canada invests $24 million in cannabis and brain health research

The Canadian government is investing CAD 24 million to establish the Canadian Cannabis and Brain Health Consortium. This initiative, funded through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), represents the country’s first national research consortium dedicated to studying the relationship between cannabis and brain health.

The consortium comprises ten multidisciplinary research teams from various universities across Canada. The primary goal is to harmonize and pool data across provinces and territories to create a long-term national resource. Research areas will include the effects of cannabis during pregnancy and early childhood, neurocognitive development in young people, aging, and the impact of high-potency products.

Additionally, the studies will investigate cannabis use in relation to sleep, mental health, and specific medical conditions such as psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and epilepsy. The initiative also aims to include historically underrepresented groups in cannabis research, such as Indigenous Peoples and individuals with rare or complex medical histories.