91社区

Marie-Pierre Sylvestre, PhD

Associate Professor
School of Public Health | Universit茅 de Montr茅al

WHEN: Monday, October 28, 2024, from 4 to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Hybrid | SPGH, 2001 91社区 College, Rm 1140 &
5252 boul. de Maisonneuve - 3rd floor, Kitchen |
Note: Marie-Pierre Sylvestre will be presenting In-Person at the SPGH

Abstract

Having friends who use cannabis is a risk factor for the initiation of cannabis use in adolescents. I used data from a sample of 11 high schools from the COMPASS study to investigate the role of access to cannabis in the association between having friends who use cannabis and cannabis initiation in adolescents. I will present these findings, discuss methodological challenges and outline potential implications for the development of harm reduction strategies among adolescents. I will also briefly present a prognostic tool to identify adolescents at risk of regular cannabis use.

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this talk, attendees will be able to:

• Understand the natural course of cannabis use in adolescents;
• Appreciate the usefulness of observational prospective data in understanding the mechanisms leading to cannabis initiation;
• Recognize the challenges associated with the development of harm reduction strategies among adolescents.

Speaker Bio

Marie-Pierre Sylvestre is an Associate Professor at the School of Public Health, Universit茅 de Montr茅al, and a scientist at the CHUM Research Centre. She holds a FRQ Junior 2 salary award to support her research on modeling the natural history of substance use, co-use, and substance use disorders, with the aim of informing harm reduction strategies. She is the co-Principal Investigator of the ongoing Nicotine Dependence in Teens study and is funded by CIHR and FRQ to examine the impact of cannabis use on physical and mental health.