Review monograph on cannabis and mental health
NDARC Staff
Jennifer McLaren, Jim Lemon, Lisa Robins and Richard Mattick
Aims
The aim of this project is to provide a comprehensive analysis and review of existing data and expert opinion of the link between cannabis use and mental health. The information gathered through this review will be presented in a way so that it is useable and accessible to policy makers as well as researchers and other professionals in the field.
This review will provide clear information about the link between cannabis and mental health to inform:
- the public debate on this issue
- the development of relevant Australian Government initiatives
Design and Method
Over 12 months, the literature in the area was systematically reviewed and summarised, routine data analysed, and experts in the field consulted. Additionally, secondary analysis of original data from major longitudinal cohort studies assessing the relationship between cannabis and mental health was conducted.
A Review Committee was established to guide the project. The Review committee was comprised of well-established researchers in the field.
Output
The major output of this project was a National Drug Strategy monograph, entitled
Cannabis and Mental Health: Put into context, which will soon be available via the National Drug Strategy website (
http://www.nationaldrugstrategy.gov.au).
Funding
Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing