Integrated Cannabis Research Strategy

Building on researcher-initiated early funding opportunities, workshops, and numerous consultations, CIHR's Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA), together with the Institutes of Cancer Research (ICR); Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH); Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH); Indigenous Peoples’ Health (IIPH); and Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA) developed the Integrated Cannabis Research Strategy (ICRS).

The overarching vision of the ICRS is that a well-coordinated series of activities can position Canada to be a world leader in developing the research capacity and amassing the research evidence needed to appropriately roll out policy and regulatory models for non-medical cannabis use.

CIHR’s Integrated Cannabis Research Strategy (ICRS) supports research and knowledge mobilization to provide essential knowledge about the use of cannabis, both medical and non-medical, its health and safety effects, and the behavioural, social, cultural, ethical and economic implications of legalization both nationally and across jurisdictions.

Please note: CIHR strategic research initiatives are funded through Institute strategic initiative budgets and/or dedicated funding from government and external partners. Funding for these initiatives is not sourced from CIHR’s Project Grant competition.

Overview

Despite the legalization and regulation of cannabis products for non-medical purposes that came into force on October 17, 2018, there remain many unknowns about the use of cannabis, both medical and non-medical, its health and safety effects and the behavioural, social, cultural, ethical and economic implications of legalization both nationally and across jurisdictions. Stakeholders have called for federal support for new research initiatives and evidence-based approaches to federal activities.

A number of reports have highlighted the need for enhanced research evidence to inform policy, practice, harm reduction, medicinal use and prevention efforts. Notably, the federally commissioned Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation released their report, "A Framework for the Legalization and Regulation of Cannabis in Canada," in December 2016 which is the product of consultations with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, Indigenous governments and representative organizations, youth, patients and experts in relevant fields.

Phase 1
Figure 1 long description

The ICRS will support three parallel streams of research: Understanding Harms, Data Standards, and Medical Benefit. Underlying each of these streams are research activities, which will serve to synthesize, standardize and increase access to evidence, and fill in evidence gaps in specific target areas.

ICRS principles

  • Provide evidence to meet federal, provincial, territorial and knowledge user needs
  • Ensure data/information sharing
  • Facilitate collaboration across stakeholders at all levels, ensuring social and cultural relevancy to stakeholders
  • Ensure inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in the research process, with culturally-appropriate considerations throughout, including meaningful engagement with Indigenous leaders
  • Ensure adherence to the highest ethical standards of research
  • Ensure sex and gender are integrated appropriately throughout the research process
  • Provide transparency and accountability for ICRS governance activities, including measures to identify and manage real, perceived and ideological conflicts of interest

ICRS specific objectives

  • Increase cannabis health research capacity
  • Promote open data sharing
  • Build the evidence base on the balance of benefits and harms of cannabis use under different contexts
  • Get evidence into the hands of health care providers, policy makers and other knowledge users
  • Establish rigorous clinical evidence for therapeutic use of cannabis (including its constituents or derived products)

CIHR Institutes

  • Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction
  • Institute of Cancer Research
  • Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health
  • Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health
  • Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health
  • Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis

Other Resources

Phase 2

With over 29M in dedicated funding from the Government of Canada, as part of Phase II of the ICRS, CIHR is supporting the Canadian Cannabis and Brain Health Consortium (CCBHC) to respond to several urgent priorities and knowledge gaps identified in the Legislative Review of the Cannabis Act Report tabled in Parliament in March 2024.

To better understand the impact of cannabis exposures and regular, heavy or high-potency cannabis use on population health, Canada requires a consortium of cannabis and brain health cohorts to measure cannabis use and the impact on brain health across the lifespan, and to provide the mechanism to facilitate data harmonization, data pooling, and data access across provinces and territories. The CCBHC brings about the opportunity to leverage existing research infrastructure and expertise in Canada to create an integrated data collection and clinical trials infrastructure that will be accessible to all Canadian researchers to investigate key questions about cannabis harms and benefits to the population across the lifespan.

The Consortium Supplement Grants will support creation of the Coordination Platform, Knowledge Mobilization (KM) Platform, and Data Platform. These Platforms will serve as the foundational infrastructure to support governance, national coordination, data stewardship, and the mobilization of research findings across the Consortium, enabling governed and controlled access to the broader Canadian research community as the infrastructure matures.

Digital Research Alliance of Canada will work with the Canadian Cannabis and Brain Health Consortium to ensure infrastructure alignment and national coordination required to establish a brain health-specific National Data Space.

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