ABSTRACT
Canada, a jurisdiction with comparatively high cannabis use rates, became the first G7 country to legalize non-medical cannabis use and supply in 2018. While calls for reform to cannabis prohibition had existed for decades, a newly elected (Liberal) government implemented cannabis legalization as part of its election platform. The legalization regime was developed within a public health-oriented framework yet within a context of longstanding (since 2001), and widely utilized, medical cannabis use and supply provisions as well as (relatively strict) alcohol and tobacco control regimes. A distinct feature of cannabis legalization in Canada is that key regulation details (e.g. re: age and location of use, retail distribution systems) are provincial and differ, making for a rather heterogeneous national legalization landscape. While Canada’s reality concerning cannabis had been fairly ‘laissez-faire,’ yet had also seen increases in select cannabis-related harms prior to the formal implementation of legalization, it will require appropriate time and a systematic evaluation effort to assess what the impacts of cannabis legalization are on public health and safety. The differential provincial regulation regimes may provide important policy lessons. Canada, furthermore, may serve as an “ice-breaker” function for other (e.g. smaller) countries with intentions to legalize cannabis for non-medical purposes.
