Have you ever wondered if cannabis impacts your musical preferences? Well, a new research initiative is in motion at a downtown lounge to explore the “soundtrack of cannabis.”
A lounge located in Club Lit is now open as a legally operating cannabis consumption space, as part of a Toronto Metropolitan University SMART lab study, to explore how music and cannabis interact in a naturalistic environment.
“The research we conduct in this space will break new ground,” Frank Russo, director of the SMART Lab, said in a press release. “I am particularly interested in the concept of absorption in music and to see how it might be altered while under the influence. Looking ahead, I can see how this might even open new avenues of research on music-based treatments for mental health.”
The research aims to understand how the level of high affects the level of music absorption and enjoyment of music.
“Cannabis is widely used and has a strong historical and cultural connection with music; whether to enhance our perception of music, or to enhance creativity when composing music,” Dr. Chi Yhun Lo, senior research associate on the study, told Now Toronto. “However – we know precious little about cannabis, hearing, and music from a robust scientific perspective.”
The lounge, which is open to the public, builds on initial thesis research of the study’s research intern, Lena Darakjian, on the effects of cannabis, music and hearing.
“In this study, we are exploring how your level of high may impact absorption (or immersion) and enjoyment of music. We are also interested in familiarity and the effect of genre-references,” Lo said. “For example, maybe there is a sweet spot that generates maximum enhancement that intersects the right level of high with the right type of music for your personal tastes.”
The TMU study is in partnership with Cannadigm Corporation, which is the parent company that runs Club Lit and is located on the same block as TMU’s Student Learning Centre, at 361 Yonge Street.
