Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is a robust method for systematically quantifying the relative harms of psychoactive substances. These studies must be done locally to reflect cultural and social context, as well as the existing policy environment. Since the first MCDA drug harm ranking study was conducted in the United Kingdom, it has been replicated in the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand. This project will conduct drug harm rankings for Canada, using the same MCDA approach as the aforementioned studies. It will do so by establishing a broad, diverse, and inclusive panel of approximately 20 experts from across the country, with expertise that includes both professional and lived experience of substance use. This expert panel will participate in a two-day workshop at which the rankings will be developed using MCDA methodology. The outcome of the project will be a report scoring 20 commonly used drugs on 16 dimensions of harm (see Appendix for the list of drugs and harms). This study will contribute to drug policy reform initiatives and guide public health efforts to reduce drug harms in Canada.