By Laura Weinrib, Alexis Levine and Alan Fraser
September 27, 2022
On September 22, 2022, Canada’s Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, and Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, Carolyn Bennett, announced the overdue legislative review of Canada’sCannabis Act(Act).
CANNABIS ACT
The Act came into force on October 17, 2018, with two key objectives:- To protect the health and safety of Canadians
- To provide for the establishment of a legal market to displace the illicit market
THE REVIEW
According to the federal government, the review will ensure that the Act adapts to the meet the needs of Canadians. The panel will consult with the public, governments, the cannabis industry, Indigenous communities and other relevant stakeholders. An online engagement process has begun, and stakeholders can provide their views to the federal government via an online questionnaire or written feedback by November 21, 2022.Review’s Original Focus
Under the Act, the legislative review must focus on the Act’s impact on public health, particularly:- The health and cannabis consumption habits of young persons
- The impact of cannabis on Indigenous persons and communities
- The impact of cultivation of cannabis plants in a housing context
Review’s Broadened Focus
However, the federal government has decided to broaden the focus of the review to also include:- Economic, social and environmental impacts of the Act
- Progress towards providing adults with access to strictly regulated, lower-risk, legal cannabis products
- Progress made in deterring criminal activity and displacing the illicit cannabis market
- Impact of legalization and regulation on access to cannabis for medical purposes
- Impacts on Indigenous peoples, racialized communities and women who may be at greater risk of harm or face greater barriers to participation in the legal industry based on identity or socioeconomic factors