Cannabis Cohort Research Consortium (CCRC)

Synopsis

The Cannabis Cohorts Research Consortium (CCRC) is a collaboration which stemmed from the need to better address important questions about the relationship between cannabis, other drug use, life-course outcomes and mental health in children and young adults. The CCRC is a multi-organisational and multi-disciplinary international collaboration which brings together researchers from some of the largest and longest-running longitudinal studies in Australia and New Zealand. The. CCRC has has focused on harmonising and pooling data across individual cohorts to improve understanding and of the link between cannabis use (particularly rarer patterns of high use) and other substance use, mental health problems and psychosocial outcomes. Research outcomes have informed government and policy decisions globally on the risks of cannabis use in young people.

Summary

Consortium name	Cannabis Cohort Research Consortium
Abbreviation	CCRC
Principal investigator/s	Prof Richard Mattick, A/Prof Delyse Hutchinson, Dr Edmund Silins, A/Prof John Horwood, Prof David Fergusson, Prof Jake Najman, Prof George Patton, Prof Craig Olsson, Prof John Toumbourou, Prof Louisa Degenhardt
Project Contact	Prof Richard Mattick and A/Prof Delyse Hutchinson
Postal address	National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052
Phone	+612 9385 0333
Email	r.mattick@unsw.edu.au delyse.hutchinson@deakin.edu.au
Primary Institution	University of New South Wales (UNSW)
Collaborating Institution/s	Centre for Adolescent Health, Royal Children͛s Hospital, Parkville, Melbourne Centre for Mental Health Research, Australian National University, Canberra Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, Deakin University, Melbourne Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children͛s Hospital, Melbourne National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth Queensland Alcohol and Drug Research and Education, University Of Queensland, Brisbane School of Paediatrics, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, Queens University, Belfast Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Perth University of Queensland, Brisbane University of Melbourne, Melbourne University of Tasmania, Tasmania
Major funding sources	NHMRC
Study website	ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au
Protocol paper	Hutchinson, D. M., Silins, E., Mattick, R. P., Patton, G. C., Fergusson, D. M., Hayatbakhsh, R., Toumbourou, J.W., Olsson, C.O., Najman, J.M., Spry, E., Tait, R. J., Degenhardt, L., Swift, W., Butrterworth, P., L. John Horwood (2015). How can data harmonisation benefit mental health research? An example of The Cannabis Cohorts Research Consortium. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 49(4), 317-323. doi: 10.1177/0004867415571169
Year commenced	2006
Australian cohorts	The Australian Temperament Project (ATP) Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP) Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life Project Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study, 2000 Stories – Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study (VAHCS).
International cohorts	The Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS)
Ethics approvals or requirements?	Yes, relevant ethics approvals were obtained.

Cohorts

Cohort name	Year commenced	Age at commencement	Eligible sample
Australian Temperament Project	1983
Christchurch Health and Development Study	1977
Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy	1981
The Raine Study	1989
2000 Stories: Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study	1992