A debate: Will the Cannabis Act do enough to protect young people?
Canada is moving closer to the legalization of recreational cannabis this summer. Federal legislation is awaiting Senate approval and all the provinces have developed their implementation approach. Governments across the country rarely agree on anything. But as we embark on this change, they have been unanimous in agreeing that their top policy objective is the protection of youth.
We know what the approaches and commitments have been from various governments, so we are in a good position to know whether their actions reflect their words. So far, the simple answer is no.
Significant efforts have gone into developing legislation that provides strong deterrents for selling cannabis to youth under the age of legal purchase, driving while intoxicated etc. But there are two key areas that are not yet sufficiently addressed.
The first has to do with concerted and sustained efforts at public education aimed at youth and their families; the second, a commitment to use some of the proceeds that government will realize from both taxation and distribution to enhance services for youth in need of addiction treatment.
I’m privileged to be CEO of Pine River Institute, what I believe is Canada’s best residential youth addiction program.
A large number of our clients tell us cannabis is their primary drug of choice. Many began using it around the age of 12 and none believed cannabis was anything other than a benign substance. “What could go wrong?” they thought. Research tells us a very different story — particularly in regard to adolescents, because their brains are still developing. For some, cannabis can have serious effects on the longer-term functioning of their brains and their mental health. So, we need to ensure that young people at a very early age understand that the use of cannabis is not risk free.
Canadian teens lead the developed world in cannabis use.
At a minimum, our goal should be to delay use to allow more time for the adolescent brain to develop.
To achieve this goal, we need an effective public education campaign aimed at youth, as well as their families. The facts must be better known so youth can make informed choices. These campaigns must be sustained over time and should not wait until legalization. They must begin now.
But aside from the $62.5 million over five years that the federal government has committed toward public education, most of the provinces have remained silent on their investments and their plans to educate their youth around cannabis use and misuse.
The recent Ontario budget predicts revenue of $230 million over the next 3 years from cannabis sales. Surely much of that should be earmarked to educating our youth and investing in youth addiction treatment.
Some claim that the legalization of recreational cannabis will not increase adolescent use.
But the recently released Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey suggests that’s wrong.
Students were asked their intentions after cannabis is legalized:
62.1 per cent of students indicate that they do not intend to use cannabis even if it is legalized for Ontario adults.
11.4 per cent will use cannabis at their current rate. 8.1 per cent will try cannabis. 3.6 per cent will use cannabis more often than they do now
14.2 per cent were unsure of their intentions.
So, almost12 per cent of these students believe that they will either initiate or increase cannabis use, post legalization. However, even if there is not an increase in use, there remains a desperate need for more youth substance abuse treatment.
It is unethical for any jurisdiction to profit from the tax and sale of cannabis and not invest a significant portion in treatment. Some politicians say this money will find its way into general provincial coffers and therefore the health-care system at large. But the health-care budget encompasses a variety of things and youth treatment is a very small part of that budget.
Ontario recently announced a large investment in mental health and addiction. That is welcome news. But we are still playing catch up. Governments in every jurisdiction must fulfil their promise of protecting our youth. So please use the funds from cannabis to do just that.