Health ministers to talk opioids, cannabis at Edmonton meeting

EDMONTON The health implications of legalized cannabis and ways to combat Canada’s rising opioid problem are on the agenda when health ministers meet this week in the Alberta capital.

Provincial and territorial ministers will hold discussions Thursday and will get an update on the marijuana file from federal counterpart Ginette Petipas Taylor on Friday.

Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen says he wants to know more about the impacts on health and on the health system.

“Many studies show that people are affected by the consumption of marijuana up until the age of 25 because there can be long-term effects if the brain is still developing up until that age,” said Goertzen.

“We have concerns from a health perspective — what additional costs does that cause to the system and what negative outcomes does it cause to Canadians?”

Ottawa has set the minimum legal age for marijuana consumption at 18 when recreational cannabis use becomes legal July 1. The provinces can set the minimum age higher.

“We’ve done a great deal in society trying to move people away from smoking. If you suddenly have more people smoking, in this case marijuana, you’re going to have some longterm detriment to people’s health,” said Saskatchewan Health Minister Jim Reiter.

“There’s the issue about at what point is it safer for use.”

The Canadian Medical Association says 25 is the safe age health-wise but says 21 would be a more realistic number to keep youth from getting cannabis through the black market.

A number of provinces already have preliminary plans in place. Ottawa and New Brunswick are looking at a minimum age of 19, while Alberta is proposing 18.

The federal government is getting push back on what critics say is too ambitious a plan to have legalized cannabis, along with tougher Criminal Code penalties and sanctions, in place by next summer.

In July, premiers and territorial leaders did not call for a delay, but said they might ask for an extension if Ottawa does not help them resolve the issues related to distribution, safety, taxation, justice and public education.

Ottawa has said it won’t allow the sale of edible cannabis until it has rules in place around health warnings, serving sizes and packaging.

The ministers also plan to compare notes on how various jurisdictions are working to combat the increased use of opioids.

Last month, the federal government reported that at least 2,816 Canadians died from opioid-related causes in 2016 — a total that’s expected to surpass 3,000 in 2017.