2023 IHDYCH Talks Competition Submission

The Canadian Collaborative for Childhood Cannabinoid Therapeutics (C4T) is an academic-led team of parents, youth, healthcare providers and scientists who are studying medical cannabis used by children. To better understand youth perspectives on medical cannabis, we held several focus groups in 2022. Nine youth aged 14-19 completed a survey and participated in two focus group discussions. In the video, we highlight the three main themes we identified from the survey and discussions: the confusion between medical and recreational cannabis, conflicting views on medical cannabis, and desired communication about medical cannabis. The knowledge gap we identified is that youth are unclear on what the difference is between medical and recreational cannabis, which leads to confusion and mixed views. We conclude that there is a need for accessible and reliable information focused on medical cannabis, specifically for youth.

C4T is committed to involving our youth partners in every step of each of our studies to continue to improve the health of children, youth, and their families. Our research aligns with IHDCYH's mandate of advancing science, promoting knowledge translation and addressing the needs of children, youth and families. We share a common goal of improving the health and well-being of this population through research and evidence-based approaches.