Grant: Team Grant: Cannabis Research in Priority Areas - Neurodevelopment

Even before legalization, cannabis use has been increasing in Canada, including among new and expectant parents. Cannabis use in pregnancy may harm fetal brain development and impact the long-term well-being of children and their families. The existing scientific literature is inconclusive and outdated. We are proposing a Pan-Canadian network of researchers, health care providers, decision-makers and families to lead a contemporary research program that will address knowledge gaps in our understanding of the risks of cannabis exposure to babies, mothers, and their families. Over the next five years, we aim to determine the likelihood of developmental impairments in children due to perinatal cannabis exposure. We will build a national database using existing Canadian pregnancy cohorts, perinatal registries, and novel data collection. Our research will identify "windows of susceptibility" to cannabis for the developing brain by analyzing biological samples collected from mothers and infants in the perinatal period. We will also seek the experiences and perspectives of new and expectant parents, and their care providers to develop reliable, accessible and easy-to-understand public resources that support informed decision-making about cannabis use in pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Our proposed Network will be a sustainable platform for ongoing research on cannabis use in pregnancy in Canada. Our results will improve the transmission of knowledge around cannabis in pregnancy and contribute to better care and outcomes for infants, families and Canadian society.