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Canadian Team Advances CHAMPS App Trial for Safer Cannabis Use After First-Episode Psychosis

A CIHR grant will fund a larger multisite study to test effectiveness following a pilot that found the approach acceptable.

Overview

  • The pilot randomized study, published in Psychiatry Research, followed 101 participants aged 18–35 across six early-intervention psychosis clinics in Quebec and Nova Scotia.
  • Researchers reported high acceptability and an encouraging signal of fewer cannabis-related problems, with no definitive conclusions on efficacy yet.
  • The new evaluation is supported by $800,000 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to rigorously assess outcomes.
  • The team plans to enroll 250 young adults across clinics in Quebec, Nova Scotia and Alberta, with recruitment over three years.
  • CHAMPS was co-designed with young people and clinicians and offers interactive modules and personalized support as a harm-reduction tool that researchers say can fit into routine care without adding clinician workload.