The McGill Research Centre for Cannabis and QAQCC are joining forces again to bring you the 5th Annual Cannabis Scientific Symposium, From Plants to People.

Registration Opening Soon   View Past Programmes

Message from the Director, Dr. Romina Mizrahi

Canada’s pioneering federal legalization of non-medical cannabis positions the country as a global leader. However, gaps remain in knowledge for health impacts, quality and safety standards, sustainable production practices and regulatory frameworks. Canada’s Cannabis Act (October 2018) provides a unique, real-world laboratory for regulated cannabis. Because Canada has taken this bold step ahead of its G7 peers, the country bears an obligation and an opportunity to generate world-leading, evidence-based guidance — to optimize health, economic, and social outcomes, both domestically and worldwide.

McGill Research Centre for Cannabis (MRCC) as a National Hub

The McGill Research Centre for Cannabis is well-positioned as a trans-disciplinary hub, integrating plant science, agricultural engineering, harm reduction, medicine, law, education, socioeconomics and more. Its mission is to provide a hub for integrated cannabis-related research activities, with outcomes that will provide evidence-based knowledge to inform cannabis-related decisions and policies surrounding health, society and law. In practice, MRCC unites researchers, going from “plant-to-patient-to-society” across multiple faculties. This comprehensive “sandbox” of cannabis research under a single centre is unique in Canada, serving as an evidence resource for provincial and federal regulators. By harmonizing diverse projects and facilities, the MRCC provides key infrastructure and coordination across its involved faculties and institutes. Principal investigators at The Centre actively supervise student and postdoctoral researchers, delivering a world-class and enriched training experience.

In sum, the MRCC delivers transformational cannabis research via a fully integrated pipeline:

• Linking bioresource engineering, plant sciences, chemistry, biomedicine, socioeconomics and law.
• Developing evidence-based clinical guidelines for cannabinoids in pain, oncology, immunology and harm reduction strategies for mental health.
• Establishing QAQC and safety standards for sustainable cultivation, processing, extraction, and formulation of cannabis-derived products that reach consumers and communities.
• Training highly qualified personnel (HQP) at the interface of science, society, and policy, which provides an opportunity for leadership worldwide.
• Mobilizing knowledge to inform policy and practice at the local, provincial and national levels.
• Establishing regulatory and legal frameworks that reconcile public health goals with access, justice, and social equity.
•  Monitoring, surveillance, and adaptive governance that integrates new evidence in real-time.
• Translating research knowledge to enhance patient care and inform public policy.

Research Axes

Partnerships