Several experts feared it. Some predicted disaster. But five years after the legalization of cannabis in Canada by the Trudeau government, on October 17, 2018, we must admit that the predicted storm did not occur. On the contrary, data collected across the country even show encouraging findings. Overview of the data situation.
At the time of its adoption in Ottawa, the controversial Cannabis Act (Bill C-45) had the main goal of stifling the black market and ensuring access to a safe product for recreational cannabis users. .
“Last year, there were 5 million Canadians who used cannabis. There, people, it is to their credit, they are interested in being able to buy a “safe” product, approved by Health Canada, and not send money into the pockets of criminals,” declared Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the set of the show Everybody talks about it on October 21, 2018. He had taken up the black market argument on numerous occasions that same evening.
Although the black market is still active, numerous studies show that a growing number of Canadian consumers have turned to official suppliers.
During the first half of 2023, more than 70% of the total value of cannabis consumed in Canada came from a legal source (medical or authorized non-medical), compared to 22% in the fourth quarter of 2018, the day after legalization.
The accessibility of the product has also increased exponentially: there were eight times more authorized stores at the end of 2020 than two years earlier in the country. This figure doubled again in the second quarter of 2022, and has reportedly remained stable since.
Ontario is the province where the offer is the most incredible: last year, there were almost as many stores selling cannabis as there were Tim Hortons restaurants.
Reduction in offenses
Before legalization, possession of cannabis was almost always illegal and accounted for the majority of cannabis-related offenses. Since then, the total number of offenses relating to this drug has significantly decreased, as most are now linked to the illicit import and export of the substance.
The rate of police-reported cannabis offenses rose from 99 per 100,000 residents in 2018, the year of legalization, to 28 per 100,000 residents five years later.
A study carried out by the Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction in 2022 highlights a significant reduction in the number of offenses related to cannabis possession by young people after legalization — and, as a result, a reduction in burden on the criminal justice system.
“Individuals who have been involved with the criminal justice system have suffered negative and lasting consequences, which affect[e]disproportionately marginalized and racialized people,” notes Statistics Canada.
Out of the reach of minors
Keeping cannabis out of the hands of minors was another goal of legalization. Five years later, the age group of young people from 18 to 24 is where consumption is most common. A Statistics Canada report, however, shows that use among 15 to 17 year olds has not increased since legalization. The average age of initiation of consumption would also have increased slightly over time.
In Quebec, the proportion of people who have used cannabis in the last year has decreased, from 19% in 2022 to 17% in 2023. It is also in the province that consumption remains the lowest among all provinces in the country. .