Grant: Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse

Substance misuse remains a significant global public health problem which carries a heavy burden for abusers and their families alike. This disorder is associated with suffering and severe health problems in patients, distress among family members, as well as tremendous costs to society. Unfortunately, prevention strategies still need to be effectively implemented and only a minority of addicted individuals receives adequate treatment. Moreover, conventional treatment strategies are often insufficient in treating addiction and no medication is yet available for a number of substances such as stimulants and cannabis. It is now widely accepted that research that could address these needs should involve not only scientists, but also clinicians, policy-makers and affected individuals. While individuals interact with each other at various levels (clinical, administrative), this is rarely as part of a cohesive interdisciplinary group. Substance users are for the most part absent of the knowledge generation and transfer processes. It is the premise of this proposal that a research network involving researchers from different horizons along with advocacy groups, service providers and policy-makers would lay down strong foundations on which effective interventions could be developed, tested and implemented in clinical settings. We propose herein to engage in a series of activities designed to facilitate the formation and development of an inter-institutions, inter-disciplinary, cross-jurisdictional research team, towards the establishment of a pan Canadian research network in addiction. This goal will be achieved by a thorough assessment of needs, workshops, teleconferences and meetings. This network is designed to stimulate new collaborations between partners with varying expertise; it could be crucial for both patients and the society by helping to develop new interventions, which could eventually allow interrupting the destructive cycle of substance misuse.