Research Spotlight
Mark Asbridge – Dalhousie University
Dr. Mark Asbridge completed his PhD in Sociology and Addiction Studies at the University of Toronto, and a post-doctoral fellowship at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Department of Policy Analysis in Toronto in 2003. Prior to that, he completed a Masters and a BA (hons) in Sociology, also at the University of Toronto. Currently, Mark is Associate Professor at the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at the Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is also cross-appointed at the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Dalhousie. Additionally, Mark is an affiliated scientist at Capital District Health Authority in Halifax.
With major research interests in psychoactive substance use in children and adolescents, drug and alcohol impaired driving, emergency medicine, social determinants of health, and the historical development and formation of public policy and law, Mark has many projects on the go. He has been called upon by the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness, the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation, and other government and research entities to write reports and conduct research in mental health, addictions, adolescent behaviors and risk factors.
Mark’s research team’s report on cannabis use in relation to driving was published in BMJ in February 2012. Jenny Cartwright, one of the authors of the article and research coordinator at the NSCRC, notes that “The study found that acute cannabis consumption (within 3hrs of driving) nearly doubles the risk of a collision resulting in serious injury or death; this increase was most evident for studies of high quality, case-control studies, and studies of fatal collisions. The influence of cannabis use on the risk of minor collisions remains unclear. These data may help inform interventions tackling road safety and raise public awareness of collision risks while driving under the influence of cannabis.”
Citation: Asbridge M, Cartwright J, Hayden J. Acute cannabis consumption and motor vehicle collision risk: A systematic review of observational studies. BMJ 2012; 344 doi: 10.1136/bmj.e536 (Published 9 February 2012).
A few of Mark’s other recent publications include:
Sanyal C, Asbridge M, Kisely S, Sketris I, Andreou P. (2011). The utilization of antidepressants and benzodiazepines among people with major depression in Canada. Canadian Journal of Psychology 56 (11): 667–676. [PMID: 22114921]
Duff C, Asbridge M, Erickson P. A Canadian Perspective on Cannabis Normalization among Adults: Has all the Stigma Gone? Addiction Research & Theory (early online).
Whelan E, Asbridge M, Haydt S. (2011). Representations of OxyContin in North American Newspapers and Medical Journals. Pain Research and Management 16(4): 252-258. [PMID: 22059195]
Kisely S, Asbridge M, Connor J, White A, Pais J, Lin E. (2011). Using administrative health data for the surveillance of interventions for alcohol-related harm in young people. CMAJ 184: 49-53. [PMID: 21670117]
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