Nunavik mayor warns Inuit youth, parents about marijuana risks

Kuujjuaq mayor Tunu Napartuk speaks at a September roundtable on air transport held in Kuujjuaq. The leader wants to see prevention initiatives in place to protect Inuit youth from the risks of marijuana use, as federal legislation makes recreational use of the drug legal in 2018. (PHOTO COURTESY OF KRG)

The mayor of Nunavik’s largest community says he’s concerned that new federal legislation set to legalize the recreational use of marijuana may put Inuit youth at risk—and he wants the region to be prepared.

Kuujjuaq Mayor Tunu Napartuk was part of a delegation of leaders from the region who took part in a Sept. 29 consultation between Indigenous groups and the Quebec government.

The Quebec City roundtable touched on how the province, and specifically its Indigenous regions and communities, plan to prepare for the passage of Bill C-45. The federal Cannabis Act would legalize the production, distribution, sale and possession of small amounts of marijuana across Canada and is set to become law in July 2018.

The legislation sets 18 as the minimum age for cannabis possession, but territorial, provincial and municipal governments may decide, with their own regulations, who can access marijuana and how.

“My initial concern is that we are such a young population,” Napartuk said. “And the legalization of cannabis would introduce marijuana to a very young age [group]. It’s already accessible to a young population, but that would normalize the use of the drug.”

In Nunavik, about 60 per cent of the region’s 13,000 inhabitants are under the age of 25. Youth in the region are also at an elevated risk for suicide, which is the second-highest cause of death in Nunavik after cancer.

“It’s a mind-altering drug and our brains continue to develop right up until age 21,” Napartuk said. “So if [cannabis] is consumed at a young age, it can alter brain development.”

Napartuk is referring to studies that have shown marked evidence of structural brain abnormalities and altered neural activity in teens and young adults who regularly use marijuana.

Part of the northern village’s response to the change will be prevention and awareness, through campaigns and municipal legislation.

Napartuk provided an example: he would want to limit where marijuana can be consumed, in order to keep it out of public places.

“We’ll have to ensure that we have bylaws in place to complement the rules and regulations on use, like where and when marijuana can be used,” he said.

“We’re also going to have to make sure our Inuit population is well informed about this.”

Another important strategy to prepare for new regulations is to ensure the community and region know the risks, Napartuk said; and he believes Nunavimmiut parents will be the strongest prevention tool.

“We’ll have to sit down with our children to talk about this. And being properly informed as parents will be crucial,” he said.

The Sept. 29 consultation provided a good glimpse into what other Indigenous communities are facing ahead of the new regulations; many are similarly isolated and have young and vulnerable populations, Napartuk said.

But he also lamented the timing of that consultation—it was last minute and happened at a time when the province has already begun to develop its policy around marijuana use and distribution.

“We haven’t had a chance to consult our population,” he said. “It would be nice as a region to have a strong voice on this. I hope we’ll be able to provide some more arguments.”

Napartuk said the northern village plans to host a community consultation on marijuana use some time this week.

Under the new federal legislation, Canadians would be allowed to possess 30 grams of marijuana at a time, or to cultivate a maximum of four plants.

The province plans to introduce its own legislation to regulate cannabis in the National Assembly this fall.

It’s still unclear how marijuana will be controlled and distributed in Quebec; the provincial government has discussed handing the responsibility over to its liquor board, the Société des alcools du Québec.

With Nunavik’s 14 communities only connected by air, Napartuk acknowledges that access won’t likely be direct and illegal trafficking—as with alcohol—will continue.

“Should there be an outlet [to sell marijuana] in the North? The demand will be there,” he said. “And because of that, the illegal sale of cannabis will always be there too.”