Course Overview
This course takes health care providers through the steps they can take to screen, assess and address cannabis use with their patients. The approaches covered include (but are not limited to) harm reduction, referrals and specialized care. Clinicians practice some of these skills with fictional patients introduced in the course.
This course uses current research to examine the health risks associated with cannabis use and reviews how the endocannabinoid system functions, particularly in relation to cannabis.
The Canadian legal framework for medical and non-medical cannabis is reviewed at the federal and provincial and territorial levels, and the public health concepts that have been implemented are assessed.
A brief overview of medical cannabis use is offered at the end.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Describe the cannabis plant and the endocannabinoid system, as well as the interactions between them.
- Rationalize legislation of cannabis use in Canada by examining the legalization, decriminalization and prohibition frameworks.
- Describe the effects of non-medical cannabis use.
- Address problematic non-medical cannabis use in primary care, based on best practices and current research.
- Explore medical cannabis use in primary care through examining current research.
Delivery Method
Self-paced online course. This course requires you to use an internet browser, but the system does not support Microsoft Internet Explorer. Do not use that to access the course.
Certification and Accreditation
- The College of Family Physicians of Canada – This Self-Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada for up to 10 Mainpro+ credits
Affiliations and Partnerships
This course was developed in collaboration with the Hamilton Health Sciences.
Cancellation Policy
Please review the cancelation policy.