Cannabis law reform in Canada: Pretense and perils

Cannabis Law Reform in Canada: Pretense and Perils examines the Canadian government's campaign to legalize cannabis for recreational use. The government's stated case is that the contraband trade poses a serious threat to cannabis users (including 'kids'), and that a legal, regulated industry will provide protection. This report draws upon research on the contraband trade, our established legal drug industries (alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceutical), and government efforts to regulate these industries. This investigation concludes that the government's case, on all counts, is weak. Its depiction of the contraband cannabis trade amounts to little more than unsubstantiated, vestigial reefer madness. Our legal drug industries engage in a relentless, indiscriminate, and sometimes illegal, pursuit of revenue with substantial harm to the public's health and to the Canadian economy. Early indications warn that an ambitious cannabis industry is on a similar trajectory. These industries are enabled by permissive and ineffective regulatory oversight by government.
Cannabis Law Reform in Canada: Pretense and Perils recommends immediate decriminalization of minor cannabis-related offences to curtail the criminalization of large numbers of mostly young Canadians. It also supports the legalization of cannabis for recreational use, but strongly asserts that the prevailing profit-driven, poorly- regulated paradigm is a dangerous one. The legalization of cannabis in Canada provides an opportunity to try a different approach - a not-for-profit cannabis authority- functioning with a genuine public health priority.