Researchers Built a Cannabis Harm-Reduction App With Young Adults and It Tested Well | Research

The takeaway

A mobile app called "Joint Effort," designed with young adults to promote safer cannabis use through protective behavioral strategies, received strong usability ratings.

Young adults who use cannabis; harm-reduction advocates; public health researchers

4.43/5.0 overall quality rating from young adult testers

What the researchers found

The app scored 4.43 out of 5.0 on the Mobile Application Rating Scale, with particularly high marks for functionality (4.60) and aesthetics (4.53).

Why it matters

Most cannabis interventions focus on abstinence. This app takes a harm-reduction approach, helping young adults who choose to use cannabis do so with lower risk.

The numbers in context

Overall quality score: 4.43/5.0. Functionality: 4.60/5.0. Aesthetics: 4.53/5.0. Information quality: 4.44/5.0. Engagement: 4.14/5.0. 90% agreed the training addressed a need.

How the study worked

Researchers used intervention mapping and co-design with young adults through focus groups. Twenty university students (mean age 21.8) tested the prototype.

What this study cannot tell us

Only 20 testers, all university students from one campus. Usability testing does not demonstrate efficacy in changing behaviors.

How to read the evidence

Usability study with 20 participants; demonstrates acceptability but not behavioral outcomes.

When this study was published

2025 publication of a recently developed intervention

The bigger picture

With cannabis legalization expanding globally, tools that help people use cannabis more safely fill an important gap.

Questions still open

Does using the app actually reduce cannabis-related harms? Would it work equally well with non-university populations?

Common questions

What are protective behavioral strategies for cannabis?

These are specific actions people can take to reduce risks when using cannabis, such as avoiding driving after use, limiting how often they use, choosing lower-potency products, or not mixing cannabis with alcohol.

Is the app available to download?

According to the study, the prototype has been developed into an iOS app and larger evaluations are underway.

Read the original research

A Mobile App (Joint Effort) to Support Cannabis Use Self-Management and Reinforce the Use of Protective Behavioral Strategies: Development Process and Usability Testing.

JMIR formative research, 9, e71924

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Côté, José; Auger, Patricia; Chicoine, Gabrielle; Cheng, Jinghui; Cossette, Sylvie; Fontaine, Guillaume; Genest, Christine; Lal, Shalini; Lapierre, Judith; Pagé, M Gabrielle; Maheu-Cadotte, Marc-André; Rouleau, Geneviève; Vinette, Billy; Jutras-Aswad, Didier. (2025). A Mobile App (Joint Effort) to Support Cannabis Use Self-Management and Reinforce the Use of Protective Behavioral Strategies: Development Process and Usability Testing.. JMIR formative research, 9, e71924. https://doi.org/10.2196/71924