Cannabis & Indigenous Mental Health

Mahegun Tails Inc. was one of 14 community-based research projects (specifically, #7). To learn more about these projects and MTI’s involvement, see Mental Health and Cannabis Research.

*New* Published August 15, 2024: Closing Research Gaps on Cannabis and Mental Health – First Nations, Inuit, and Métis: “Over the past five years, the Mental Health Commission of Canada has led a pan-Canadian research program to assess the impact of cannabis legalization and use on the mental health of diverse populations. This document synthesizes key themes that emerged from seven studies led by Indigenous organizations and communities exploring the relationship between cannabis and mental health among First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada.” View PDF.

Citation: McLeod, S., & Goulet, S. (2020). Cannabis and Indigenous mental health: Lifting the pipes, understanding natural laws in the context of “medicine,” mental health, and cannabis. Mahegun Tails, Inc.

Using Indigenous research methodology guided by Elders, this research sought to better understand what traditional knowledge and natural laws exist around cannabis, and its relationship to mental health in Indigenous communities.

“Two years ago, we started a journey of understanding that was guided by Elders from Treaties 6, 7, 8, urban Calgary and the historic Northwest Métis. Creating room to share traditional and contemporary stories about cannabis and its relationship to mental health in the Indigenous community, the gathering of Elders was a culturally appropriate start. We asked one simple question:

In a social, cultural, and traditional context, how was cannabis understood before contact from the context of ceremony, Natural Laws, and within Indigenous communities concerning mental health and healing?”