about the knowledge hub
The Cannabis & the Developing Brain Knowledge Hub was created by a Montreal-based multidisciplinary think tank to critically assess the state of the science related to cannabis, the adolescent brain and mental health in Canada and worldwide, and to disseminate up-to-date findings to multiple users (medical professionals, policy makers, educators, parents, journalists and young people themselves) through accessible, accurate and unbiased accounts of emerging brain research.
Bringing together experts across the fields of neuroscience, psychiatry, philosophy, social policy, and law, members of the think tank firstly consider how best to interpret and mobilize existing brain research to inform policy and the public concerning young people and cannabis use. The group also engages with diverse populations of young people in Canada to understand youth perspectives on cannabis use. The team is involved in the development of school-based interventions aimed to deepen adolescents' understanding of the effects of cannabis on the brain and mental health. More broadly, the online Hub serves to promote a critical, contextual neuroscience literacy by pointing out the strengths and limitations of the brain-based evidence in the studies it presents.
These activities will contribute to the development of recommended best practices for clinical care and policy development to create the safest environment for adolescents. Throughout, the think tank engages in knowledge exchange activities with local policy, community and media partners to advance our analysis and recommendations.
In summary, this multidisciplinary international think tank serves as an interface between research and policy by:
providing public engagement with the neuroscience of cannabis and its impacts on adolescent brain development;
helping to evaluate the potential role of neuroscience (including the methodological, interpretive and social-cultural complexities) in informing provincial and federal policy makers in Canada on cannabis with respect to adolescents.
The Cannabis & the Developing Brain Knowledge Hub gratefully acknowledges generous support from:
