Big Cannabis and the Commercial Determinants of Mental Health
Cannabis is a multi-billion dollar industry in Canada. Since Canada legalized non-medical cannabis in 2018, cannabis companies have grown in market value akin to multinational industries commonly known as Big Pharma and Big Tobacco. The goal of this project is to identify risks to mental health and substance use health stemming from the activities of the Canadian cannabis companies (‘Big Cannabis’) such as the sponsorship of scientific research, and how this may disproportionately affect populations who remain structurally vulnerable in terms of the consequences of legal cannabis promotion and regulation.
Additional info
The specific aims of this study are to 1) document evidence of activities from Big Cannabis related to the sponsorship of scientific research, and 2) generate preliminary knowledge to inform the development of educational offerings targeted toward decision-makers including community leaders, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers about the potential mental health and substance use health implications of relationships with Big Cannabis, including mitigation strategies.
Project team
- Dr Daniel Buchman (Nominated PI)
- Dr Quinn Grundy (Co-PI)
- Brooke Magel
- Gord Garner
- Rowen Shier
- Esther Davies
- Dr Sophie Soklaridis
- Dr Abhimanyu Sud
- Dr Roberta Timothy
Funders and partners
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
- Mental Health Commission of Canada