Cabinet advisors raised doubts this week regarding whether the legalization of marijuana has delivered on the promises made by advocates five years ago.. CannabisPot busts are down 95% since 2017. .According to Blacklock’s Reporter, an expert panel wrote the legalization of marijuana did not eliminate the black market and did not effectively protect children from unregulated marijuana consumption..“One of the key goals of legalization was to protect the health and safety of Canadians, to keep cannabis out of the hands of children and youth and profits out of the hands of criminals and organized crime,” said an expert panel report. .“However, many of the people we engaged with expressed concern that rates of cannabis use among youth in Canada remain high compared to other jurisdictions and that legalization has not led to a discernible decrease in youth cannabis use.”.The preliminary report followed 90 hearings nationwide with police, First Nations, doctors, nurses, marijuana producers and others. A final report is due by March 31, 2024..In 2018, the Canadian Parliament passed Bill C-45 An Act Respecting Cannabis, which made Canada the second country in the world, after Uruguay, to legalize marijuana..According to federal research, the legalization of marijuana has led to more people using it, increased drug-impaired driving, and has not effectively reduced organized crime..“Many public safety stakeholders were concerned about the continued involvement of organized crime and criminal networks in illicit cannabis production and sale,” said the Legislative Review of the Cannabis Act: What We Heard Report. .“This includes through unauthorized retail stores.”.Legalization saw a “rising trend” in marijuana use, as high as 40% of young adults under 24, said What We Heard. .“Among this age group, 10% report daily or almost daily use.”.The report suggests even though it's illegal to sell marijuana to minors, children as young as 14 seem to have no trouble getting access to it..“Concerns were raised prior to the implementation of the Act about the effect that legalization would have on the public perception of cannabis,” wrote the Expert Panel. “The most recent data available indicate about half of respondents, 51%, felt regular cannabis smoking was either somewhat or completely socially acceptable.”.The report estimated cannabis sales totalled $11 billion since legalization, with tax revenues running at $1.2 billion annually. Conversely, it estimated marijuana costs $2.4 billion annually, including medicare and insurance losses and the black market accounted for $2.4 billion in yearly sales. .“Many public safety stakeholders were concerned about the persistence of the illicit market and the continued involvement of organized crime,” said the report..Members of the Expert Panel appointed by the health minister were former Trudeau Foundation CEO Morris Rosenberg, Queen’s University Associate Professor Oyedieji Ayonrinde, University of Montréal Professor Patricia Conrod, University of Toronto Professor Peter Selby and Lynda Levesque, a criminal lawyer and member of Manitoba’s Fisher River Cree Nation.
Cabinet advisors raised doubts this week regarding whether the legalization of marijuana has delivered on the promises made by advocates five years ago.. CannabisPot busts are down 95% since 2017. .According to Blacklock’s Reporter, an expert panel wrote the legalization of marijuana did not eliminate the black market and did not effectively protect children from unregulated marijuana consumption..“One of the key goals of legalization was to protect the health and safety of Canadians, to keep cannabis out of the hands of children and youth and profits out of the hands of criminals and organized crime,” said an expert panel report. .“However, many of the people we engaged with expressed concern that rates of cannabis use among youth in Canada remain high compared to other jurisdictions and that legalization has not led to a discernible decrease in youth cannabis use.”.The preliminary report followed 90 hearings nationwide with police, First Nations, doctors, nurses, marijuana producers and others. A final report is due by March 31, 2024..In 2018, the Canadian Parliament passed Bill C-45 An Act Respecting Cannabis, which made Canada the second country in the world, after Uruguay, to legalize marijuana..According to federal research, the legalization of marijuana has led to more people using it, increased drug-impaired driving, and has not effectively reduced organized crime..“Many public safety stakeholders were concerned about the continued involvement of organized crime and criminal networks in illicit cannabis production and sale,” said the Legislative Review of the Cannabis Act: What We Heard Report. .“This includes through unauthorized retail stores.”.Legalization saw a “rising trend” in marijuana use, as high as 40% of young adults under 24, said What We Heard. .“Among this age group, 10% report daily or almost daily use.”.The report suggests even though it's illegal to sell marijuana to minors, children as young as 14 seem to have no trouble getting access to it..“Concerns were raised prior to the implementation of the Act about the effect that legalization would have on the public perception of cannabis,” wrote the Expert Panel. “The most recent data available indicate about half of respondents, 51%, felt regular cannabis smoking was either somewhat or completely socially acceptable.”.The report estimated cannabis sales totalled $11 billion since legalization, with tax revenues running at $1.2 billion annually. Conversely, it estimated marijuana costs $2.4 billion annually, including medicare and insurance losses and the black market accounted for $2.4 billion in yearly sales. .“Many public safety stakeholders were concerned about the persistence of the illicit market and the continued involvement of organized crime,” said the report..Members of the Expert Panel appointed by the health minister were former Trudeau Foundation CEO Morris Rosenberg, Queen’s University Associate Professor Oyedieji Ayonrinde, University of Montréal Professor Patricia Conrod, University of Toronto Professor Peter Selby and Lynda Levesque, a criminal lawyer and member of Manitoba’s Fisher River Cree Nation.
