CAMH experts tackle the issues around cannabis

Pictured above: The panel, from left - Dr. Peter Selby; JF Crépault; Dr. Joanna Henderson; and Karleigh Darnay.

CAMH experts gathered recently to discuss the changing landscape of cannabis at a panel before CAMH’s Constituency Council, a province-wide voluntary advisory group of about 70 stakeholders tasked with providing advice, insight and feedback to the organization, its strategic plan and its Board of Trustees. From legalizations concerns to examples of how youth are sharing knowledge about cannabis facts, this is what the experts had to say.

“Most Canadians do not use Cannabis and legalization with strict regulation shouldn’t change that. Clinically, we need to make sure people aren’t poisoned from using cannabis because they use too much or in situations when it’s dangerous, such as around driving and psychosis. If someone is becoming a daily user and neglecting themselves, families, school and work, they need to get treatment as soon as possible.”
Dr. Peter Selby, Deputy Physician-in-Chief, Education; and Chief, Medicine in Psychiatry Division.

“To effectively tackle knowledge gaps in cannabis use and misuse among youth, especially in the context of cannabis legalization, we need more research that is collaborative and engages youth and other stakeholders. The McCain Centre uses evidence-based approaches to youth engagement that considers who we are and are not hearing from. The McCain model reaches a wide range of youth through a variety of methods and approaches. We brought our evidence-based approach to youth engagement to cannabis legalization to make available to young people evidence about cannabis harms and harm reduction.”
Dr. Joanna Henderson, Director of the Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth and Family Mental Health

“My work around cannabis is focused on why legalization with strict regulation makes sense from a health perspective, and what the rules are for cannabis sales and consumption. To assess the health impact of cannabis legalization, we will need to understand not just changes in prevalence, but also changes in the modes (smoking, vaping, etc.) and patterns (frequency, age of onset) of use – as well as trends in the use of other drugs. What impact does cannabis legalization have on alcohol consumption? Will some people with chronic pain who currently rely on opioids turn to cannabis instead?”
JF Crépault, Senior Policy Analyst

Resources made for youth by youth – such as the youth version of the Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines – have a tremendous impact. Working with a team of youth with lived experience, we supported the information they valued, used language they connected with and created a youth-friendly feel to invite other young people to learn more. Developing the youth version was a very collaborative process that built from the expertise of scientists and youth. All of the messages provided in the resource came from evidence-based recommendations co-developed with youth.”
Karleigh Darnay, McCain Youth Engagement Coordinator