Lastly, we support research and ongoing data collection, including gathering baseline data to monitor the impact of the new framework.
Our task group emphasizes the need for investing in research and centralized national surveillance systems so that problems could be detected at an early stage, successes are tracked and emphasized, and course corrections can be made. This should be implemented now so that we have baseline data.
We also emphasize the need for a comprehensive policy monitoring and evaluation framework. Moving forward, we recommend further research to investigate maternal cannabis use during pregnancy, impact on birth and childhood outcomes, the impact of cannabis exposure through breastfeeding, the impact of cannabis use on mental health, interactions between cannabis use and pharmaceuticals, testing methods to determine cannabis levels and/or impairment levels, and the health effects of heavy, regular, or occasional cannabis use, just to name a few.
Our recommendation is to enhance current national surveillance systems such as the Canadian community mental health survey and the Canadian tobacco, alcohol, and drugs survey to include additional questions on public opinion on cannabis policy and regulation, awareness of the health effects of cannabis use, and the effects of cannabis use during pregnant or while breastfeeding. This data can help inform the development and changes to health policy, public health programs, and communication campaigns geared towards cannabis use.