CCSA's Research and Policy Division facilitates and contributes to the creation, dissemination and application of knowledge and expertise related to substance use and abuse prevalence, social and economic harms, harm minimization strategies, and approaches to control, prevention and treatment.
The mandate and activities of the Division are intended to increase awareness and promote debate among Canadians with regard to alcohol and drug abuse and the reduction of harm. The Division also aims to initiate and support multi-sectoral and inter-governmental consultation, to contribute to the exchange of information, and to promote realistic and effective policies of national significance by
- updating and addressing gaps in the evidence and understanding of the extent and nature of alcohol and drug problems, and in our knowledge of risk and protective factors, underlying determinants, and associated problems and adverse consequences;
- assessing the effectiveness of control, treatment and prevention policies; and
- fostering collaboration of expertise to avoid duplication.
Key Activities of the Research and Policy Division
- leading and participating in timely and policy-relevant research and analysis on issues of substance use and abuse;
- leading and contributing to the development of policy documents and statements on substance abuse and addiction issues of national significance; and
- developing and fostering networks, brokering relationships, and coordinating efforts among researchers and policy makers in the substance abuse and addictions field
Divisional Activities
|
Activity |
Details |
| 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS) |
The CAS is the first national survey dedicated to alcohol, cannabis and other drug use since Canada's Alcohol and Other Drugs Survey (CADS) in 1994. It is one of the most detailed and extensive surveys of its kind ever conducted in Canada. |
| Canadian Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (CCENDU) |
CCENDU was established in response to a 1995 feasibility study that identified the need for a Canada-wide surveillance system on substance abuse. |
| CECA/CCSA Treatment Indicators Project |
The goal of the CECA/CCSA Treatment Indicators Project is to demonstrate the value of a national addictions treatment data collection and analysis system in Canada, and to outline the steps required to achieve such a system. |
| The Costs of Substance Abuse in Canada |
The Costs of Substance Abuse in Canada 2002 describes substance abuse as a significant burden on the Canadian economy in terms of both its direct impact on health care and criminal justice costs, and its indirect toll on productivity resulting from disability and premature death. |
| Moving Towards a National Research Agenda |
More than 70 leading addictions researchers and other specialists from across Canada met in Ottawa on October 2-4, 2003 to develop a strategic addictions research agenda, ranging from basic and clinical science to social, cultural and environmental research in relation to alcohol and illicit drugs. |
| National Policy Working Group (NPWG) |
The purpose of the NPWG is to provide a forum or focus for agencies, or individuals with an expertise in substance abuse to participate in a broad discussion and analyze policy issues and topics from a national perspective. |
| Research in Addictions: Innovative Approaches in Health Research |
Through this strategic initiative, the sponsoring organizations hope to challenge researchers working across a host of disciplines representing the full spectrum of health research to undertake work that will contribute to our understanding of alcohol and illicit drug use, abuse and addiction and cross-addictions with gambling and tobacco use in order to inform the intervention strategies of addiction professionals, policy makers, and the Canadian public. |
| Substance Abuse in Canada: Current Challenges and Choices |
This report, a collaboration between CCSA and a team of addiction experts working in Canada, explores a series of key contemporary issues in substance abuse and the potential policy implications for Canada. |