This report describes the findings of an exploratory evaluation of Cannabis and Youth: A Certificate for Youth Workers – a free online certificate collaboratively developed by Strides Toronto and YouthREX as part of the Cannabis Education Project funded by the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services.

The provincial Cannabis Control Act came into effect on October 17, 2018. The Act established a legal framework regarding the minimum age of possession, consumption, sale, distribution, purchase, transportation, and cultivation of cannabis in Ontario. Legalization presented an opportunity to equip individuals with information about the new restrictions and the health, social, and legal risks associated with cannabis use to support informed decision-making and to educate and increase awareness among target populations, including youth.

The purpose of the Cannabis Education Project is to equip frontline child and youth-serving workers with evidence-based and developmentally appropriate information to support awareness-building on the health, social, and legal impacts of cannabis use on youth.

Since the certificate launched in February 2020, 2,345 participants had enrolled in the certificate and 1,014 of those had completed the certificate by August 10, 2020. This exploratory evaluation was carried out to understand the outcomes of the certificate for participants and to identify areas for improvement.

This work was authored and produced by YouthREX as part of a collaboration with Strides Toronto.