Centering equity and lived experience: implementing a community-based research grant on cannabis and mental health ...

• Main Authors: Obegu, Pamela, Armstrong, Julia, Bartram, Mary
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: My University 2022
• Subjects: Canada; First Nations; inuit
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-28157; https://ruor.uottawa.ca/handle/10393/43944

Abstract Background Mental health research in Canada is not only underfunded but there remains an inequitable distribution of funding to address unmet needs especially in clinical and applied research. In 2018, the legalization of cannabis for non-medical use in Canada sparked the need to examine the relationship between cannabis use and mental health. The federal government allocated $10 M over 5 years to the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), a pan-Canadian health organization funded at arm’s length by the federal government. Methods In 2020, the MHCC implemented an innovative community-based research (CBR) program to investigate this relationship among priority populations including people who use cannabis and live with mental illness, First Nations, Inuit and Métis, two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and/or queer (2SLGBTQ+) individuals, and racialized populations. Extensive consultations, a scoping review and an environmental scan set the research agenda. Key program components included a ...