Dalhousie University, Schulich School of Law; 6061 University Ave, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Health Policy. 2018 Mar;122(3):205-209. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2018.01.009. Epub 2018 Jan 31.
Canada is on the cusp of an unprecedented change in its governmental approach to recreational cannabis consumption. By July of 2018 the country will legalize and regulate recreational cannabis use across the country via the implementation of the Cannabis Act, representing the second country in the world and the first in North America to do so. With almost half of Canadians having admitted to using the drug illegally, this change in policy has been long advocated. While medical cannabis has been legal since 2001 this represents the first time in recent history that recreational cannabis will be legal on a federal level. As the country moves away from criminal prohibition into a framework centered on harm minimization and public health and safety, the policy specifics are being worked out by a variety of stakeholders. With limited peer-reviewed research and similar regulatory schemes to shape the Cannabis Act off of, Canada is entering unchartered territory. As other countries around the world struggle with illegal cannabis consumption, the Canadian example and novel regulatory scheme could prove a useful guiding tool for future policy in other jurisdictions. The following paper discusses key areas to watch and a brief intro of how Canada got to where it is and the foundational need for a shift in policy.
加拿大即将在政府对娱乐性大麻消费的管理方式上迎来前所未有的变革。到 2018 年 7 月，加拿大将通过实施《大麻法案》，在全国范围内使娱乐性大麻合法化并加以监管，成为世界上第二个、也是北美第一个这样做的国家。由于近一半的加拿大人承认曾非法使用过大麻，因此，这一政策的改变由来已久。虽然医用大麻自 2001 年起就已合法化，但这是近几十年来，娱乐性大麻首次在联邦层面合法化。随着加拿大从刑事禁止转变为以减少危害和公共健康与安全为中心的框架，各种利益攸关方正在制定具体政策。由于可借鉴的有限同行评议研究和类似的监管方案，加拿大正在进入未知领域。随着世界其他国家在与非法大麻消费作斗争，加拿大的范例和新颖的监管方案可能为其他司法管辖区未来的政策提供有用的指导工具。本文讨论了值得关注的关键领域，简要介绍了加拿大的现状及其政策转变的基本需求。
