Grant: Catalyst Grant: Cannabis and Mental Health - Veterans

Since the Cannabis Act of October 2018, we know little about medical vs. recreational cannabis use among Canadian Veterans. For those receiving funding for medical cannabis use, data on benefits and harms to themselves and their families is lacking. Collaborating with Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), based on de-identified administrative data, we will examine amounts and types of medical and recreational use products by Veterans in relation to conditions for which they were pensioned, providing for the first time, basic information about intensity of use and potential clinical impact among Veterans. Determining proportions of heavy, moderate and mild level users, the blend of medicinal vs recreational cannabis products used, and any clear correlation with class of provision of VAC benefits (e.g., disability allowance or pension type), we will provide a basic framework for examining Veterans' cannabis use. We will recruit Canadian Veterans into a mixed methods study through internet study-site accessed self-report measures for assessment of mental health profiles (past and current physical and mental health diagnoses, clinical treatment participation, amounts and types of products consumed and whether cannabis was from medical or recreational use sources). We will explore perceived benefits and adverse effects of type, source and amount/dose of cannabis in relation to perceived benefit/harm to Veterans and others in relationship with them. Internet-based study site data will be examined and compared with data from encrypted Zoom interviews/focus groups with Veterans, clinicians, policy- and decision-makers. With our KT partners, we plan to inform Veterans of findings by accessible language and appropriate media; providing policy makers, social and health support stakeholders with details arising from this work. The results will be essential for supporting Veterans' needs in the context of risks/ benefits of cannabis use moving forward in a legal use context in Canada.