a Centre for Addiction and Mental Health , Toronto , Canada.
b School of Public Health , University of Alberta , Edmonton , Canada.
Subst Use Misuse. 2019;54(10):1691-1704. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2019.1608249. Epub 2019 May 10.
: Observing and documenting major shifts in drug policy in a given jurisdiction offer important lessons for other settings worldwide. After nearly a century of prohibition of non-medical use and sale of cannabis, Canada federally legalized the drug in October 2018. Across this geographically large and diverse country, there is a patchwork of cannabis policies as the provinces and territories have developed their own regulatory frameworks. : As drug policy transitions are often studied well after implementation, we document early stage cannabis regulatory policy planning in the four most populous provinces of Québec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. : In June 2018, we systematically searched peer-reviewed and gray literature (such as web content, reports, and policy documents authored by varied authorities and organizations) to identify key aspects of the evolving provincial cannabis legalization frameworks. In the absence of peer-reviewed studies, we reviewed primarily gray literature. : For each of the four provinces examined, we provide a succinct overview of early-stage public consultation, plans for cannabis distribution and retail, other key regulatory features, endorsements of a public health approach to legalization, general alignment with alcohol policy, and contentious or standout issues. : Our review clearly illustrates that cannabis legalization in Canada is not unfolding as monolithic policy, despite a federal framework, but with divergent approaches. The public health outcomes that will result from the different provincial/territorial regulatory systems remain to be measured and will be closely monitored.
观察和记录特定司法管辖区药物政策的重大转变，为全球其他地区提供了重要的经验教训。在近一个世纪对非医疗用途和销售大麻的禁止之后，加拿大于 2018 年 10 月在联邦层面将大麻合法化。在这个地域辽阔、多样化的国家，各省和地区制定了自己的监管框架，大麻政策也呈现出拼凑的局面。由于药物政策的转变通常在实施后很久才进行研究，我们记录了人口最多的四个省份——魁北克省、安大略省、艾伯塔省和不列颠哥伦比亚省——在早期阶段的大麻监管政策规划。2018 年 6 月，我们系统地搜索了同行评议和灰色文献（如网络内容、报告以及由各种权威机构和组织撰写的政策文件），以确定不断发展的省级大麻合法化框架的关键方面。在缺乏同行评议研究的情况下，我们主要审查了灰色文献。对于每个被审查的省份，我们提供了对早期公众咨询、大麻分销和零售计划、其他关键监管特征、对合法化采取公共卫生方法的认可、与酒精政策的总体一致性以及有争议或突出问题的简洁概述。我们的审查清楚地表明，尽管有联邦框架，但加拿大的大麻合法化并不是作为单一政策展开的，而是采用了不同的方法。不同的省级/地区监管系统将产生的公共卫生结果仍有待衡量，并将受到密切监测。
