Feds announce $967,000 for cannabis public education project in tri-counties
Efforts will help people make ‘fully informed decisions,’ project co-ordinator says
Less than a week remained before legalization of recreational cannabis use in Canada when the federal government announced $967,000 for a cannabis public education project in southwestern Nova Scotia.
The investment, which will be over four years, is for the TriCounty Women’s Centre Society and will help it raise awareness of the health effects of cannabis and problematic substance use.
West Nova MP Colin Fraser announced the funding last Thursday on behalf of Ginette Petitpas Taylor, the federal health minister.
Speaking at the Tri-County Women’s Centre in Yarmouth, Fraser said public education is a fundamental part of the government’s work as it prepared for the Cannabis Act to take effect on Oct. 17.
“We want to ensure that Canadians have the facts about cannabis legalization and regulation, about road safety and about the effect of cannabis on youth,” Fraser said. “We want Canadians to make informed and responsible choices and we want them to talk to their children about the risks of cannabis use.”
To do this, he said, the government was ramping up its public education work.
Those welcoming Fraser’s announcement included Joan Donaldson, project manager for the Tri-County Women’s Centre’s cannabis education and substance user support program.
She said cannabis education efforts
will reach out to both youth and the general public, giving people information on cannabis to help them make “fully informed cannabis-use decisions.”
She added, “There will be youth-focused, school-based activities for grades 8-12 in schools throughout the tri-counties. Activities for the general public will be implemented in 15 communities in Shelburne, Digby and Yarmouth counties.”
The substance user support component for adults and adolescents, she said, will include those who are waiting for or who have been discharged from residential or other treatment programs.
The goal is to improve access to a range of supports in each of the three counties, she said, including harm-reduction information and supplies, along with supportive counselling.
The women’s centre is “pleased for the opportunity to do this important and timely work,” she said.
Three navigators – one for each county – will work under Donaldson on this project.
With the Cannabis Act just six days away from taking effect at the time of last week’s announcement, Fraser said Canada was about to enter a new era of cannabis regulation, “one that restricts access to cannabis and sets high standards for cannabis quality. This is good news.”
But, he added, “It is important to remember that cannabis use is not risk-free ... The investment announced today builds on our public education efforts and demonstrates our commitment to ensuring Canadians have the information they need to make informed choices.”