NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area

Tags: social sciences, well-being, youth, substance abuse, cannabis

Objective(s): To determine the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours (KAB) of Inuit youth and new or expecting parents in select Western Arctic communities toward cannabis use; and to share cannabis harm reduction tools and information and assess their effectiveness and determine persisting gaps in cannabis related information or services.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5469. The goals of this project are to determine the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours (KAB) of Inuit youth and new or expecting parents in select Western Arctic communities toward cannabis use; and, to share cannabis harm reduction tools and information and assess their effectiveness and determine persisting gaps in cannabis related information or services. The research team will hold 2 focus groups in one community in each region of Inuit Nunangat and select urban centres. 1 focus group with youth and one focus group with new or expecting parents. For the Western Arctic we hope to hold engagements in Yellowknife and Inuvik, NWT. In the focus grouts the research team will share Inuit specific cannabis harm reduction toolkit with participants during engagements to increase knowledge of how to reduce possible harms of cannabis use. The team will then engage with participants on if their knowledge about cannabis and reducing harms increased, and what is still missing from cannabis related information and services. Information will be compiled from all engagements with Inuit across Canada to get a picture of Inuit perceptions toward cannabis use in their communities and determine the impact of existing cannabis harm reduction information and toolkits. The Director of Health and Wellness at Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) is aware and supportive of the project. The team plan to be in continual contact with the IRC Wellness Division. They are aware and supportive of the plans and will likely assist in planning and promoting the engagements. The team are also in contact with the Director of Yellowknifemiut Inuit Kattujiqatigiit who will be fully aware of all travel and engagement plans and likely assist in promoting and identifying potential participants. The team will make the anonymized data available to both the IRC Health and Wellness department and Yellowknifemiut Inuit Kattujiqatigiit. Pauktuutit often uses community Facebook groups to promote engagements in communities which the team will likely post to promote the engagement in Inuvik. The research team are open to adapting the communication plan as deemed fit by research and license and ethics boards. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from March 14, 2023 to April 30, 2023.