Photo: UBCO

As the Canadian cannabis industry continues to mature, more studies are being conducted on the impacts of cannabis use since legalization.

It's been three years since cannabis was legalized in Canada and the University of British Columbia Okanagan is now looking at cannabis use among the Indigenous peoples.

UBCO researchers partnered with Woodland Cree First Nation and Indigenous Bloom — an Indigenous cooperative of cannabis retail and cultivation — for a first-of-its-kind look at the impacts of cannabis use since legalization. The study will look at motives for using cannabis, especially when it comes to pain management or substitution of other substances, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Farrell, an adjunct professor in UBCO’s psychology department, hopes the predominantly Indigenous study will put a new lens on the motives for cannabis use and its potential benefits among Indigenous populations.

Dr. Farrell has spent the last several years working to advance the process of truth and reconciliation as well as supporting improved health and wellness outcomes for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples within academic health research and health-care settings.

The study is the first of its kind in Canada and will help ensure equity and inclusion in cannabis research for Canada's Indigenous Peoples, including therapeutic use for symptoms of chronic pain, anxiety, sleep and substitution.

The study will also include the COVID-19 pandemic, "we are seeing increases in alcohol use and a record-high number of opioid-related overdoses and overdose deaths. We are battling multiple public health emergencies right now and it’s important we know about the impacts of COVID-19 and patterns of substance use in Indigenous populations," says Dr. Farrell.

The study is unique because it’s Indigenous-led with a predominantly self-identified Indigenous research team.

"Because of this, we’re able to put a different lens on our approaches to this work and ensure we’re not only supporting self-determinism in the health and wellness of Indigenous Peoples, but also creating research and mentorship opportunities for self-identified Indigenous undergraduate and graduate students at UBC," says Dr. Farrell.

The study authors are also looking for Indigenous Peoples, "if you self-identify as Indigenous—that is, First Nations (status/non-status), Inuk or Métis—are 18 years or older, use cannabis, and are interested in learning more or participating in the CUTI project, please reach out to [email protected].

Not everyone is happy the study is going ahead.

Representatives of the Okanagan Cannabis Collective, a group of legal cannabis retailers, have been in contact with UBCO expressing their concern the university is "supporting a criminal organization for this cannabis study."

Indigenous Bloom operates on First Nations reserves and outside B.C.'s legal framework. It does not source the cannabis is sells from the government's legal market.

"We immediately demand that you terminate your agreements with this illegal cannabis company and that any research/findings derived from the illegally procured cannabis not be used in your final analysis," the group said in an email to the provincial government on Tuesday.

"With respect to your research funding, we have cc’d all BC MLA’s on this email and are asking them to evaluate the appropriateness of such funding considering the UBC’s disregard for cannabis laws."

The Okanagan Cannabis Collective has been calling on the police and provincial government to crack down on the proliferation of grey-market cannabis shops in the region. Earlier this year the group said there are 35 illegal shops operating in B.C.