A Quebec company that helps bridge the gap in medical cannabis access launched a new study this week that will look at the outcomes and effectiveness of different medical cannabis treatment plans.

Santé Cannabis, a community-based centre focussing on medical cannabis care and clinical research for more than a decade, will be drawing on this experience to lead the recruitment of 3,000 people using cannabis for medical purposes. 

The study is also supported by grants from Aurora Cannabis, Tilray Medical, and Vectura Fertin Pharma, a Singapore-based company working with cannabinoids. Santé is also seeking assistance from other organizations. 

“This study will investigate outcomes of a new wave of medical cannabis product formats, including capsules, tablets and innovative sublingual products, as well as new cannabinoid formulations such as CBN and CBG,” says Dr. Lorne Wiseblatt, a family medicine and palliative care physician with Santé Cannabis. “As clinicians, we must uphold our responsibility to support our patients with safe and effective treatment options.”

Dr. Michael Dworkind, the Medical Director & Co-founder of Santé Cannabis and an Associate Professor in Family Medicine at McGill University, adds:

“While medical cannabis has been legally accessible in Canada for almost 25 years, there are still many unanswered clinical questions to support its therapeutic use for conditions including chronic pain, epilepsy, spasticity, sleep, anxiety, and depression. This is such an important initiative to prioritize patients’ needs in the age of cannabis legalization.”

Santé Cannabis has—with the help of its team of physicians, nurses, and support staff—provided assessment and support to more than 20,000 patients since 2014, and is Canada’s first independently accredited cannabis Contract Research Organization (CRO).

The organization also holds four Cannabis Research Licences, allowing it to conduct clinical trials and observational studies. It also launched a patient-centred Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy program in 2024 to advance access to legal treatments, improve research & insurance coverage, and lead the development of innovative supportive care models.

There were more than 180,000 medical client registrations with federally licensed sellers of cannabis for medical purposes in March 2024, the most recent figures available. The average daily amount authorized by healthcare practitioners for individuals registered to access cannabis for medical purposes from federally licensed sellers was 2.4 grams per day.

Related Articles

Active medical registrations with LPs continue to decline, while personal and designated increase

April 6, 2022

Australian Senate Standing Committee releases report on the current barriers to patient access to medicinal cannabis in Australia

March 26, 2020

BC researchers look at the impact of legalization on Canadian medical users with cancer

September 14, 2020