Editorial: Watching Canada’s experiment with legal cannabis
Editorial: Watching Canada’s experiment with legal cannabis
Diane Kelsall
CMAJ October 15, 2018 190 (41) E1218; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.181287
On Oct. 17, 2018, the government of Canada will launch a national, uncontrolled experiment in which the profits of cannabis producers and tax revenues are squarely pitched against the health of Canadians. When Bill C-45 comes into force in mid-October, access to recreational marijuana will be legal 1 making Canada one of a handful of countries to legalize recreational use of the drug. Given the known and unknown health hazards of cannabis,2,3 any increase in use of recreational cannabis after legalization, whether by adults or youth, should be viewed as a failure of this legislation. The government of Canada should commit to amending the act if cannabis use rises.