Canada has defended marijuana legalization amidst global scorn and said that since legal marijuana sales started in 2018, the black market has lost about 30% of its market share to the legal market, and the frequency of marijuana consumption has not changed among the youths as well as the young adults.
Last week on Monday, the director-general for Health Canada Michelle Boudreau delivered the remarks above to the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs. Boudreau’s comments show that Canada’s decision to legalize marijuana was of benefit for public health, irrespective of the ongoing criticism from some countries.
Canada approved the legislation legalizing recreational marijuana nationwide in 2018. This move undermined international drug treaties that prohibit marijuana legalization, but still, Canada proceeded with the legalization.
Boudreau also encouraged other countries to legalize marijuana in her remarks, and this riled the UN officials. However, she retorted against international concerns that cannabis legalization would compromise public health and the young generation.
According to a written copy of her remarks, Boudreau further noted that the black market has already lost 30% of its market share, which is equivalent to $2 billion in sales that did not go to the criminal organizations. She also said that they have not seen any increase in the overall size of the illicit market.
The initial data shows that the frequency of marijuana consumption among the youth and young adults has not changed, and the country has not noticed an increase in trafficking marijuana across international borders since legalization.
Boudreau further said that they would continue gathering and evaluating data to determine the impact of Canada’s new regulatory frameworks as well as ensuring that the data is used in future decision making.
In its annual report, the UN International Narcotics Control Board expressed skepticism around marijuana legalization and said that it is concerned with the legislative developments allowing the use of marijuana for recreational purposes as this is in contradiction with the drug control policies and commitments made by the state parties. The UN further wrote that cannabis could be harmful to the health and wellbeing of individuals, especially the young generation.
There is a possibility of the global drug policy changing in the near future since many agencies, including the president of INCB, Cornelis .de Joncheere is wondering if the provisions are out of date. The global ban on marijuana legalization is contained in the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, and those provisions prohibiting marijuana legalization are nearly 60 years old.
In her remarks to the UN, Boudreau said that her country is making an effort to reduce the stigma surrounding marijuana consumption by including members of the civil society who have lived with as well as those still living with the experience of substance abuse in their delegation.
Boudreau further said that although her country is violating international agreements on marijuana legalization, they have a strong partnership with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, where they help fight illegal trafficking of opioids, their precursors, as well as other synthetic drugs through Smart Lab and AIRCOP projects. Canada also contributes to the Container Control Program, which helps in the seizure of illegal drugs and the interception of cash couriers.
It would be eye-opening to hear what established companies like MCTC Holdings Inc. (OTC: MCTC) have to say about the spirited defense that Canada put up against the criticism leveld at it by the international community.
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