Our Work
Selected consulting and research engagements spanning government ministries, national health organizations, and international policy bodies.
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UK Ministry of Justice Evaluation of Violence Reduction in Custodial Settings
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The UK Ministry of Justice commissioned a multi-site, mixed-methods evaluation of Structured Communication techniques across adult and youth correctional facilities in England. Dr. Bear was part of a four-person research team, leading the qualitative fieldwork component — including direct engagement with both officers and incarcerated people across multiple prison sites. That work involved extended periods inside UK custodial facilities, negotiating access with institutional stakeholders and conducting fieldwork that informed both the measurement instruments and the final analysis. The findings examined the conditions under which communication-based interventions reduced use of force and identified structural barriers to implementation.
Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs Cannabis Policy Advisory — Botswana and Mozambique
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The ESACD is a high-level regional body chaired by former heads of state, convened to develop evidence-based drug policy across Eastern and Southern Africa. Dr. Bear was invited by the Commission's secretariat to advise government delegations from more than ten countries on cannabis regulation, drawing on Canadian legalization experience and international comparative research. He contributed to structured sessions in Gaborone, Botswana and Maputo, Mozambique — presenting and participating in panels with senior government officials and policy advisors — as well as extended informal engagement with national bureaucrats working through the practical implications of regulatory reform for their own jurisdictions.
​​​​Canadian Public Health Association Cannabasics: Cannabis Education for Frontline Health and Social Service Providers
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When the CPHA needed to update its cannabis education materials for frontline medical and social service professionals, the existing toolkit did not reflect current scientific evidence and lacked the practical focus needed for practitioners working directly with cannabis consumers. Dr. Bear updated the toolkit to incorporate the latest research and reoriented it around harm reduction principles, producing Cannabasics: A Primer for Health and Social Service Providers — a resource designed to help practitioners have informed, evidence-based conversations with patients and clients about cannabis. The resource has since been widely distributed across Canada and continues to be cited in professional development contexts for healthcare providers.
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Release UK Racial Disparities in Drug Policing: England and Wales
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Release, the UK's leading drug law legal aid charity, commissioned a quantitative analysis of stop and search activity, ethnicity data, and arrest records across 43 police agencies in England and Wales, linked to 2011 census data. Dr. Bear led the analysis, coordinating the research program, managing stakeholder relationships, and collaborating with the client to produce a final report sensitive to both academic and advocacy audiences. The resulting report, The Numbers in Black and White, documented significant racial disproportionality in drug policing and contributed to ongoing policy debates about stop and search reform. The project was delivered under budget and three weeks ahead of schedule.
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Additional Engagements
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Mental Health Commission of Canada — Led knowledge translation of 32 funded research projects on cannabis and mental health, producing synthesis documents and thematic reports accessible to non-specialist audiences across Canada.
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Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction and Mental Health Commission of Canada — Designed and facilitated a national researcher networking event preceding the CCSA Issues of Substance conference in Vancouver, producing a knowledge product on future directions for cannabis research.
Ideas for Peace Foundation, Colombia — Assessed UK and Canadian police training and recruitment practices for this Colombian NGO, as part of a broader project supporting the Colombian National Police's transition from military to civilian governance. Produced a gap analysis and recommendations report.
Canopy Growth Corporation — Developed a harm reduction video training series for cannabis retail staff and budtenders across Canopy's Canadian retail network, translating scientific evidence on safe consumption into accessible professional development materials.
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European Research Area Network on Illicit Drugs (ERANID) — Brought in to lead the Canadian component of a seven-country comparative study of drug policy and social outcomes, conducting qualitative interviews with Canadian policy experts and producing a national country report.
BBC News — Analyzed quantitative data on outstanding warrants obtained by BBC News, assessed the broadcaster's interpretation of the data, and contributed to the final report that was nationally broadcast.
For a full record of Dr. Bear's research and consulting work, his CV is available on the About page.
