Cannabis is legal. What happens now?
We have an opportunity to do research and create policy, says Jerome Konecsni.
Independent and credible research and innovation are critically important to ensure public health and safety as Canada becomes one of only two countries in the world to legalize cannabis for recreational and medical use.
Many cannabis investors are counting on economic rewards. But some Canadians and governments, including Saskatchewan’s, are concerned about impairment and other negative impacts.
With legalization a fait accompli, many important questions still remain, starting with: Are we ready? What should be our priorities?
The focus needs to be on what can and should be done to achieve the best possible outcomes in keeping with the original goals of the legislation: reduce illicit sales of cannabis; curb youth consumption; and protect public health and safety.
Through the Cannabinoid Research Initiative of Saskatchewan (CRIS), the University of Saskatchewan is taking the lead in addressing such issues. CRIS is composed of nearly 20 researchers in medicine, pharmacy and nutrition, agriculture, veterinary medicine, arts and science, and public policy, working collaboratively with University of Regina researchers.
While Canadian provinces have slightly different legal frameworks, their overall objectives are consistent. Essentially, three objectives need to drive cannabis implementation strategies:
Identify outcomes that define success
Encourage consumers to only purchase legal cannabis products
Help policy-makers, business people and consumers to make informed choices
Efforts of federal, provincial and municipal governments must be strategic. The pillars of these plans should include data management, public education, and innovation.
The data management strategy should begin with obtaining baseline information to tell us whether we are on the correct path. Gathering and analyzing such data provides a basis for evaluating and improving the policy framework.
For example, data could include such factors as the numbers of cannabis users in various age groups, cannabisrelated criminal charges including impaired driving, cost of litigation, addiction cases, and cost of treatment.
Key factors that drive legal purchases and discourage illicit sales include the price and the value of legal cannabis products, and research can play a significant role on both counts. Clearly, illicit suppliers of cannabis were not investing in studies to produce a better and safer product.
While a clear advantage for legal cannabis is the absence of any criminal implications, the consumer must be assured of the inherent value of the legal product.
Providing a well-defined quality and safety standards — such as accurately listing THC levels (tetrahydrocannabinol is the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis) and guaranteeing absence of any harmful chemicals — is one way to assure consumers of the inherent value.
But policy-makers must walk a fine line in ensuring regulations and other compliance requirements don’t place too much of a burden on legal cannabis suppliers.
Strategic industry innovation to increase production and reduce waste by developing new plant varieties, creating better inventory control systems, improving product safety and ensuring security throughout the supply chain is essential for cost control and efficiency.
A missing piece of the puzzle is identifying therapeutic benefits derived from specific plant profiles — i.e. the impact of relative amounts in a cannabis sample of THC and CBD (cannabidiol, a nonpsychoactive compound in cannabis considered to have medicinal properties). THC levels can range from less than one per cent to as high as 30 per cent, while CBD levels can range from trace amounts to more than 20 per cent in different varieties of cannabis sativa.
Existing clinical data are very preliminary and often conflicting because study sizes are small and product specifications vary.
If Canadian policy-makers want to ensure public health and safety, there is no other path forward but rigorous research and sound policy. University researchers have an important and significant role to play in providing independent and credible research to guide policy-makers. Jerome Konecsni is an executivein-residence at the University of Saskatchewan’s Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy.