Awareness campaign should precede cannabis legalization: health ministers

A public awareness campaign which will target youth will be launched before the planned legalization of cannabis, July 1, 2018. (FILE PHOTO)

With less then a year to go before the July 1, 2018 date for the legalization of marijuana, federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for health met in Edmonton last week to discuss, among other things, how to protect the health and safety of Canadians after the legalization and regulation of cannabis.

On April 13, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-45, the proposed Cannabis Act, which would create a framework to control the production, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis in Canada.

According to a news release issued Oct. 20 in Edmonton, the ministers stressed the importance of early and ongoing public education ahead of the move to legalize, regulate and restrict access to cannabis, more commonly called marijuana or weed and in Inuktitut “ujarak” or “milutsi.”

To that end, Ottawa plans to launch a public education campaign on cannabis before the July 1, 2018, launch date, the federal health minister, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, said during an Oct. 20 news conference capping off the health ministers’ meeting.

“Prevention in this area is key,” she said. “We want to target our youth, but also we want to make sure that healthcare professionals and parents have the tools they need as well to be able to speak to their kids about these choices.”

Petitpas Taylor said the RCMP have already received “tools and training” on administering sobriety tests for cannabis.

“Pilot tests are already taking place across the country to ensure the police are prepared to deal with that situation,” she said, although it’s not clear yet what the legal level will be for marijuana intoxication.

There’s also the question of regulating edible marijuana, which will be up to the federal government, but regulations might not surface until well after the Cannabis Act becomes law.

“There is no specific date with respect to that, but I would say that if you look a year after the legalization, that would be the window we are giving ourselves,” she said.

In response to a question on whether the provinces and territories will be ready for cannabis legalization, Petitpas Taylor said, “there should be no surprise because in campaign 2015, we made it very clear this was part of our platform,” she said.

Substance abuse will continue to be one of Health Canada’s priorities, she said.

“This includes working with provinces and territories to address barriers to treatment, support essential data collection and work to end stigma for those who suffer from substance abuse,” she said.

Improving Indigenous health outcomes remains a key priority for the health ministers, the news release on the meeting said.

Health ministers met with leaders from national Indigenous organizations, including Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, to discuss their health priorities and opportunities to address gaps in Indigenous health outcomes, the release said.