#blowingmindsstudy — Public Fediverse posts
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DATE: September 15, 2026 at 12:00PM
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-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Researchers launch global tracking project to measure the daily mental health impacts of cannabis
A new global research initiative aims to track the real-time habits and health outcomes of both recreational and medicinal cannabis users over a two-year period. The project will map how local laws, individual mindsets, and daily routines shape the positive and negative effects of cannabis on the brain. The study protocol was recently published in Comprehensive Psychiatry.
As cannabis laws relax around the world, usage is rising. Many people consume the plant recreationally, but a growing number of individuals use it for medical reasons. Pain management and mental health symptom relief are common motivations for medicinal use. The actual effectiveness of cannabis for mental health remains a subject of intense debate among researchers. Some individuals report substantial benefits, noting that the drug eases their anxiety and stabilizes their mood. Others experience adverse reactions, including worsened depression, heightened paranoia, and the onset of cannabis use disorder.
Researchers want to understand why these outcomes vary so wildly from person to person. Part of the explanation likely involves the specific chemical makeup of the products being consumed. Cannabis contains different compounds, most notably tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which produces the psychoactive high, and cannabidiol, or CBD, which does not. High doses of THC are generally linked to a greater risk of adverse mental health effects. At the same time, preexisting psychiatric conditions and biological vulnerabilities play a role in how a person reacts to the drug.
Past research on cannabis often viewed the drug through a narrow lens, focusing heavily on either its potential harms or its supposed benefits. Funding sources and disciplinary boundaries frequently restricted the scope of these investigations. The existing literature also tends to overlook the environmental and cultural contexts in which people consume the drug. The social stigma attached to cannabis, local law enforcement practices, and community norms can all influence an individual’s psychological relationship with the substance. Additionally, most medicinal users purchase and consume cannabis without any formal medical supervision, making their habits difficult to track in clinical settings.
To build a more complete picture of modern cannabis consumption, a team of scientists launched the “Blowing Minds” project. Nora de Bode, a researcher at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands, is the lead author of the study protocol. She collaborated with Erasmus University colleagues Emese Kroon, Jia Hua Hsieh, and Janna Cousijn.
The research team plans to recruit 1,800 participants between the ages of 18 and 65. To qualify, individuals must consume cannabis at least four times a week. The study compares people who use the drug recreationally with those who use it medicinally. Because the researchers want to measure the impact of different legal environments, they are recruiting subjects from a variety of regions. The initial rollout includes participants from the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, and Brazil, with plans to expand into parts of Asia and Africa.
The study takes place entirely online. Participants begin by completing an extensive series of baseline questionnaires. They report their preferred methods of consumption, such as smoking or vaping, and estimate the potency of the products they buy. They also answer questions about their physical health, sleep quality, and history of psychological trauma or mental illness. The surveys ask participants to reflect on how their friends, family, and local government view cannabis, which helps the researchers quantify the social pressure surrounding each user.
After finishing the surveys, the participants complete a battery of digital cognitive tests. These assessments measure memory, processing speed, general intelligence, and emotional perception. One specific test tracks how easily a participant’s attention is captured by images related to cannabis, which can serve as an indicator of addictive behavior.
Once the baseline measurements are established, the subjects begin a 14-day intensive tracking period using a mobile application. This technique, known as the experience sampling method, allows researchers to observe behavior in a natural setting rather than a laboratory. Every morning, the app asks the participants how well they slept and whether they used any substances the day before. Throughout the day, the app sends five random notifications. When prompted, the participants have one hour to log their current mood, stress levels, and cannabis cravings. They rate their feelings of happiness, anxiety, loneliness, and physical pain on a sliding scale.
In addition to the random prompts, the participants are instructed to open the app right before they consume cannabis. They log their intention to use the drug and record their immediate emotional state. By capturing mood and craving data right before consumption and comparing it to the random check-ins throughout the day, the researchers can see what emotional triggers prompt a person to use. They can also track how the drug alters the user’s mood in the hours that follow.
The project extends far beyond the initial two-week tracking period. The researchers will contact the participants again one and two years after their baseline assessments. The subjects will retake the digital cognitive tests and fill out the mental health questionnaires a second and third time. This longitudinal approach allows the team to map out long-term trajectories. They hope to identify whether certain habits, such as relying on highly potent products to cope with negative emotions, consistently lead to cognitive decline or worsening mental health over a multi-year period.
Running a remote, multi-year study presents distinct logistical challenges. Because the participants are paid for their time, the online format is vulnerable to fraudulent responses. People might try to enter the study multiple times or use automated software to complete the surveys. The researchers employ digital security measures to flag suspicious activity, manually check for contradictory demographic answers, and verify regional locations using internet routing data.
The daily tracking period also requires a high level of commitment from the participants. Being interrupted by phone notifications five times a day for two weeks can cause fatigue, leading some individuals to skip questions or provide rushed answers. In any multi-year study, a portion of the participants will inevitably drop out before the final follow-up. The research team uses statistical models designed to handle missing data to account for these dropouts.
By making their digital materials and anonymized data available to other scientists, the research team hopes to standardize how cannabis habits are measured globally. Sharing this framework will allow other laboratories to replicate the study in different countries or among specific age groups.
The study, “Blowing minds: A cross-cultural, longitudinal investigation to unravel the highs and lows of recreational and medicinal cannabis users,” was authored by Nora de Bode, Emese Kroon, Jia Hua Hsieh, and Janna Cousijn.
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