Time to reduce unfair financial barriers to medical cannabis
Nearly 300,000 people in Canada use medical cannabis to manage various health issues, including chronic pain. And yet, despite medical cannabis adding much-needed benefit, choice, and positive outcomes to our health care system, unfair taxation means patients face a major barrier to accessing this effective treatment option. Cannabis products for both adult recreational use and […]
Three years on, cannabis is the ‘new oil’
The legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada is fast approaching its three-year anniversary, and while the sector is seen to have behaved responsibly, volatility and uncertainty remains in both the market and how it operates, as well as in the long-term mental and public health impacts of legalizing the substance. Cannabis was officially legalized on […]
Cannabis beverages in Canada: the glass is not even half full
Imagine trying to explain to a consumer why they can purchase only five cannabis beverages but can purchase 17 vape cartridges, 30 grams of flower, or 100 bottles of cannabis oil. You could start by explaining that Canada’s cannabis possession limit of 30 grams is based on dried cannabis or its equivalent. And that these […]
Budget 2021 missed opportunity to unleash economic growth across cannabis sector
When Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland rose in the House of Commons to present her government’s budget, it was the eve of 4/20, the unofficial international day of celebration for many in the cannabis community. We took it as a positive omen that Minister Freeland had heard our call and accepted our offer to contribute more […]
The opioid crisis: let’s learn from the success of cannabis legalization
Two years after its legalization in Canada, cannabis is moving from plant pariah to public policy precedent. Legalization is working. The early data from Statistics Canada shows a significant drop in users between the ages of 15 and 18. Quebec is now following the science by tightening its rules and prohibiting cannabis consumption by anyone […]
Questions that need answers: research needs to keep pace with escalating cannabis issues
As a seasoned researcher in the field of cannabis and cannabinoid pharmacology, there are a few key areas where the current lack of information and knowledge gaps raise concerns. Some of these gaps in knowledge have been the topic of research for decades, while others have emerged much more recently. The changing and evolving landscape […]
‘The kids are alright’: reflections on two years of legal cannabis in Canada
“Reefer madness” has not overtaken Canada. Two years into the legal regime of cannabis and statistics indicate that marijuana use has not skyrocketed. Nationally, cannabis use amongst Canadians 15 years and older increased by two per cent (between 2018 and 2019), with six provinces reporting no change in the percentage of users. Similarly, six per […]
Industry looks to hash out new regulations on cannabis beverages
One year after the legalization of cannabis edible, cannabis beverage producers and retailers are expressing frustration with how edible products are regulated under the Cannabis Act, arguing Health Canada is regulating the wrong aspect. Their issue is with the cannabis equivalency factor, which determines how much of a given cannabis product an individual is allowed […]
Adding a racial lens to the legislated review of the Cannabis Act
The story of the enforcement of cannabis laws in Canada is one of historical injustice and inequality. Indeed, it is undisputed by this government that one of the greatest injustices in our country is the disparity and disproportionality of the enforcement of cannabis laws and the impact this has had on Black communities, Aboriginal communities, […]
In continuing opioid crisis, cannabis can’t be overlooked as a life-saving measure
Long derided as a gateway to so-called hard drug use, recent scientific findings have raised the possibility that cannabis might be an off-ramp from the overdose crisis. While the coronavirus pandemic dominates headlines, the overdose crisis is about to enter its sixth year, having claimed the lives of more than 16,000 Canadians. Sparked by the […]
