TRACE
The Teens Report on Adolescent Cannabis Experiences – TRACE – studies are recognized as the longest-running program of qualitative research on youth cannabis use in North America.
This research provides valuable insights into the experiences, perceptions, and behaviors of youth and generates new understandings about youth perspectives on substance use informing impactful strategies to minimize related harms.
TRACE has contributed to school- and community-based interventions, policy consultation, and scholarly outputs that center youth perspectives on substance use experiences and decision-making.
CYCLES: The Film
Our TRACE team created the film Cycles based on the results of early TRACE studies. The film explores high school student decision-making about the use of cannabis.
An accompanying Facilitator’s Guide was created to support educators in using the film in their classrooms to promote dialogue and build open communication to reduce the harms of cannabis and other substance use.
Innovations in Harm Reduction
In October 2022, we co-hosted the Innovations in Harm Reduction for Youth Cannabis Use event showcasing new developments in harm reduction research and programs from across Canada. Check out our report highlighting key innovations.
The video of the full event is available for viewing.
TRACE V
The fifth iteration of TRACE was the first in our series to be conducted post-cannabis legalization in Canada. This research focuses in on gaps in cannabis education for youth and explores how health and social differences – or inequities – shape youth cannabis use.
TRACE IV
The fourth iteration of TRACE included perspectives of parent cannabis users about youth cannabis education and prevention in the context of legalization.
See below for our T4Parents Report and an environmental scan of cannabis education resources for parents.
Youth and Young Adult Cannabis Research – Critical Approaches to Advancing the Field
International Journal of Drug Policy | 2025
The editors of this special section of the journal present a collection of four empirical papers and three commentaries, all engaging with the central question, how can theoretical and methodological innovations advance youth and young adult-centered cannabis research, policy, and practice?
International Journal of Drug Policy | In Press
Limited attention is paid to the role of social context in shaping youth cannabis use. This paper presents the findings of a study that centered youth perspectives on cannabis use in the context of health and social inequities.
Drugs: Education, Prevention & Policy | 2021
Cannabis was recently legalized for adult use in Canada and many American states. In this context, there is a pressing need for educational resources – aimed at youth and their parents/caregivers – to reduce potential harm. However, little is known about the current state of such resources. This paper presents findings of an environmental scan, mapping and critically analyzing the present landscape of cannabis resources for parents/caregivers.
Harm Reduction | 2013
Youth voice is largely missing from the creation of public health messaging on cannabis. This study describes a knowledge translation project that engaged young people in a review of the evidence on cannabis and culminated in their creation of public health messages.