Ottawa, May 22, 2019 — The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) are partnering to provide $4.5 million to support research that will help governments to develop, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of cannabis policies.

CCSA CEO Rita Notarandrea says: “These grants will connect researchers and policy makers to identify effective practices in the regulation of cannabis, ultimately improving public health and public safety for Canadians. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction is pleased to be working with CIHR to fund the Partnerships for Cannabis Policy Evaluation grants.”

The announcement was made earlier today in Calgary by the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, on behalf of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health.

CCSA’s partnership with CIHR was one of several announced by Minister Blair. In total, $24.4 million in funding will support 26 projects across the country involving cannabis research from CIHR and respective partners.

Blair places an emphasis on the important role this research will have on legal cannabis moving forward: “We have put in place a strict regulatory framework for cannabis that aims to keep cannabis out of the hands of youth and the profits out of the hands of criminals. This research will make an important contribution as we continue to roll out the regulatory framework. We must continue to ensure that prevention, harm reduction and education remain at the forefront of these efforts.”

Research from the other projects will focus on the use of cannabis and cannabidiol oil for the treatment of pain and anxiety. Funding will also explore the therapeutic potential of cannabis in areas such as cancer, chronic pain and neurodevelopment.