Spectrum Therapeutics, the medical division of Canopy Growth Corp., is partnering with the Canadian Mental Health Association to develop an educational content module related to cannabis in the workplace.
The module, which will be part of the CMHA’s workplace mental-health program Not Myself Today, will launch early next year. It will feature a number of physical and digital tools aimed at reducing stigma in the workplace regarding the use of cannabinoid-based medicines. It will also encourage greater health-care practitioner oversight when patients use cannabis for a medical condition.
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“The stigma surrounding medical cannabis and mental illness prevents meaningful action and dialogue among those affected,” said Dr. Mark Ware, chief medical officer at Canopy Growth, in a press release. “One of the goals of this partnership is to break that stigma by empowering conversations about mental health informed by evidence-based educational resources.”
In Canada, mental illness is a leading cause of disability claims in the workplace, with estimates suggesting one in two Canadians have, or will have, a mental illness by age 40, noted the release. The CMHC’s Not Myself Today program, which is used by more than 500 companies across Canada and the U.S., is designed to help employers and employees transform mental health at work.
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“The mental health-care system of the future is not just in clinics or hospitals; it’s in settings like the workplace, where we can promote the skills, knowledge and practices that can improve mental health for the broad population instead of limiting our focus to individual patients,” said Fardous Hosseiny, interim national chief executive officer at the CMHA.
“With the support of partners like Spectrum Therapeutics, our Not Myself Today program will educate, reduce stigma and foster safe and supportive cultures for the one in five Canadians who experience mental illness in a given year.”