Canadian Centre for Substance Use & Addiction
2020-2022
Health warnings, product labelling regulations, and consumer understanding of the health risks of cannabis. Closing the Gaps in Cannabis Research. [$86,306 CAD]
Goodman S, Hammond D, Leos-Toro C.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant
2018-2023
Marijuana legalization policy: Impact on prevalence and risk behaviours among youth and young adults in Canada. [$1,514,700 CAD]
Hammond D, Hall W, Pacula R, George T, Rehm J, Werb D, Boudreau C, Leos-Toro C, Wadsworth E, Porath A, Elliot R.
INTERNATIONAL CANNABIS POLICY STUDY
In 2018, Canada became the second country to legalize recreational cannabis use. The current study will examine the impact of cannabis legalization on Canadian youth and young adults. The study will examine the extent to which legalization is associated with changes in five primary outcomes: 1) the prevalence and patterns of cannabis use, including use among 'minors'; 2) risk behaviours, including driving after cannabis use; and 3) the commercial retail environment, including the price and the type of products used; 4) perceptions of risk and social norms; and 5) the effectiveness of specific regulatory policies, including advertising restrictions, product labelling and warnings, public education campaigns, and the use of cannabis in public spaces and workplaces. The proposed study consists of a quasi-experimental design with prospective cohort surveys conducted in Canada, as well as in two 'control' jurisdictions: US states where recreational cannabis use remains illegal ('US Illegal' states), and US states where recreational cannabis use has been legalized ('US Legal' states). A cohort of youth and young adults (aged 16 to 30) will be recruited at 'baseline'- prior to the implementation of legalization in Canada- and at 12-, 24-, and 36-month 'post-implementation'. Representative samples will be recruited from each of three study conditions: Canada (n=10,000; 1,000 in each province), 'US Illegal' states (n=10,000), and 'US Legal' states (n=10,000). Analyses will examine national-level changes in Canada over time compared to 'US Legal' and 'US Illegal' states, as well as between provinces to examine differences in policy implementation. Overall, the proposed research will provide a rigorous design for evaluating the impact of national-level cannabis legislation in Canada using 'within-country' and 'between-country' controls over time. This time-sensitive research is urgently needed to inform future policy in Canada and internationally.
2017-2018
Marijuana legalization: Impact on prevalence and risk behaviours among youth and young adults in Canada. [$100,000 CAD]
Hammond D, Hall W, Pacula R, George T, Rehm J, Werb D, Boudreau C, Leos-Toro C, Wadsworth E, Porath A, Elliot R.
In 2018, Canada will become the second country to legalize recreational cannabis use. The current study will examine the impact of cannabis legalization on Canadian youth and young adults. The study will examine the extent to which legalization is associated with changes in five primary outcomes: 1) the prevalence and patterns of cannabis use, including use among 'minors'; 2) risk behaviours, including driving after cannabis use; and 3) the commercial retail environment, including the price and the type of products used; 4) perceptions of risk and social norms; and 5) the effectiveness of specific regulatory policies, including consumer awareness and knowledge of health warnings, exposure to cannabis marketing, exposure to public education campaigns, and use of cannabis in public spaces and workplaces. The proposed study consists of a quasi-experimental design with prospective cohort surveys conducted in Canada, as well as in two 'control' jurisdictions: US states where recreational cannabis use remains illegal ('US Illegal' states), and US states where recreational cannabis use has been legalized ('US Legal' states). A cohort of youth and young adults (aged 16 to 24) will be recruited at 'baseline'- prior to the implementation of legalization in Canada- and at 12-, 24-, and 36-month 'follow-up' in three conditions: Canada (n=5,000), 'US Illegal' states (n=5,000), and 'US Legal' states (n=5,000). Participants will be recruited using face-to-face sampling and will complete online surveys. Postal code information will also be collected to examine the effect of geographic proximity to legal sales outlets in Canada after implementation. Overall, the proposed research will provide a rigorous design for evaluating the impact of national-level cannabis legislation in Canada using 'within-country' and 'between-country' controls over time. This time-sensitive research is urgently needed to inform future policy in Canada and similar initiatives in other countries.