Five years after Canada moved to decriminalize recreational cannabis use, researchers say the impact of this policy has had mixed results on public health goals and justice reform since 2018. ing.
According to the report, Canadian Medical Association Journal Published Tuesdaythe trend in recent years has been a decline in criminal activity related to cannabis use, as well as an increase in health concerns.
“Cannabis legalization in Canada does not seem to have been the public health disaster that some opponents predicted, but neither is it a comprehensive or unequivocal success for public health,” the study authors wrote. There is.
Although daily use of cannabis by users has remained stable since legalization, Statistics Canada estimates that overall cannabis use among Canadians aged 16 and over will increase from 22 per cent to 27 between 2017 and 2022. reported an increase in percentage. Meanwhile, use among Canadian youth is increasing. In 2022, 37% of 16- to 19-year-olds reported cannabis use, which remained at a similar level to 36% in 2022. 2018.
One report found a 20 per cent increase in cannabis-related illnesses and addiction-related emergencies among young people in Ontario and Alberta since legalization. A separate report analyzing unintentional cannabis poisonings from edibles in children in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec found a significant increase in these emergency visits since edibles were legalized in 2019. It turned out that it was.
Since 2015, a total of 581 pediatric hospitalizations were reported. 105 cases were reported in the first 14 months of legalization and 356 cases were reported in the first 19 months of edible food legalization.
Health Canada previously warned cannabis users and people with children to be wary of edible products packaged in colorful and sometimes familiar-looking snacks that look like regular candy or pastries.
However, since legalization, there has been some improvement in how often Canadians purchase illegally produced cannabis, with two-thirds of users now purchasing cannabis products from legal sources. The data shows that.
Additionally, levels of impaired driving due to cannabis use have decreased slightly or remained stable in most regions of the country, with the exception of British Columbia, where they decreased slightly in 2018 compared to 2013-2018. The percentage of impaired drivers increased from 2020 to 2020.
Another report from Canadian Center for Drug Use and Addiction It also reported a significant 97% decrease in marijuana possession charges among youth between 2015 and 2019. Additionally, juvenile trafficking and sales offenses decreased from 12% to 8%.
The study authors noted that while Canada’s legalization of non-medical cannabis has had mixed results, it is not possible to summarize all the impacts this policy has had on Canadians over the past five years.
“Robust methods that integrate diverse data when evaluating policy outcomes will help improve the potential needed to more effectively serve and achieve the stated public health goals of cannabis legalization in Canada going forward. “It is also necessary to inform evidence-based adjustments to certain regulatory parameters,” the authors write. .
