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Fewer Incidents Between Youth And Police Following Canadian Legalization

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Policy.

An area of top concern for both cannabis supporters and opponents alike is youth safety. Of course, what motivates each side’s concerns, the talking points used, and the predictions of what the future holds in a post-reform world differ greatly between the two sides, but at the most basic level, everyone should agree that youth safety is important.

Arguably the most popular talking point for cannabis opponents is that, so they claim, if cannabis is legalized for adult use then there will be a spike in youth consumption at levels never seen before in human history, and the consequences of such will be nothing short of catastrophic.

Unfortunately for those opponents, and fortunately for the rest of us that live in reality, such spikes in youth consumption have yet to materialize where cannabis has been legalized. Furthermore, in Canada specifically, there have been fewer recorded incidents between youth and law enforcement following national legalization. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Toronto, Canada: The legalization of the adult-use marijuana market is associated with reduced incidents between police and juveniles, according to data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Researchers affiliated with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto analyzed police-reported incident data from the years immediately prior to and following the adoption of cannabis legalization in Canada.

They reported that legalization “was associated with significant reductions in both male and female police-reported cannabis-related offenses” for youth ages 12 to 17. (Canadian law permits those age 18 and older to legally possess and use cannabis products.) They estimated that these reductions have led to approximately 21,000 fewer criminal interactions between police and young people in the years following nationwide legalization.

The study’s authors concluded: “The Cannabis Act was associated with sustained and substantial decreases of approximately 50 percent to 60 percent in national patterns of male and female police-reported youth cannabis-related criminal incidents over an approximate three-year post-legalization period.… Given that involvement with the police and Canadian criminal justice system for cannabis-related criminal incidents represents a major social and individual-level harm for young people, it is reasonable to conclude that our findings demonstrate a benefit associated with the implementation of the Cannabis Act.”

Full text of the study, “Canada’s cannabis legalization and police-reported cannabis-related criminal incidents among youth, 2015-2020,” appears in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

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Is Legalization In Canada Linked To Upticks In Traffic Crashes?

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Policy.

Historically, in every single jurisdiction on earth where legalization was pursued and achieved, without exception, there were cannabis opponents spreading anti-cannabis myths and half-truths to try to deter voters or lawmakers from supporting reform.

One of the most popular areas of focus for cannabis opponents was, and presumably always will be, impaired driving. The talking point can come about in a variety of forms, however, the main premise of the talking point regardless of how it manifests itself is this – that if cannabis laws are reformed there will be terror on the roadways in the form of increased vehicle crashes.

Unfortunately for cannabis opponents, and fortunately for rational-thinking people worldwide, the data does not support opponents’ claims. A recent study out of Canada highlights what really happens (or doesn’t happen) after a nation legalizes cannabis for adult use. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Sherbrooke, Canada: Neither the passage of adult use marijuana legalization nor the growth of retail cannabis sales is associated with any increase in motor vehicle accidents, according to data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review.

Canadian investigators assessed trends in traffic crashes in Toronto in the years prior to and immediately following the adoption of adult-use legalization.

They reported: “[N]either the CCA [Canadian Cannabis Act] nor the NCS [number of cannabis stores per capita] is associated with concomitant changes in (traffic safety) outcomes. … During the first year of the CRUL’s [cannabis recreational use laws] implementation in Toronto, no significant changes in crashes, number of road victims and KSI [all road users killed or severely injured] were observed.”

The findings are consistent with those of other Canadian studies. One study, published last year in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, “ found no evidence that the implementation of the Cannabis Act was associated with significant changes in post-legalization patterns of all drivers’ traffic-injury ED [emergency department] visits or, more specifically, youth-driver traffic-injury ED presentations.”

Another study, published earlier this year, similarly concluded, “Overall, there is no clear evidence that RCL [recreational cannabis laws] had any effect on rates of ED visits and hospitalizations for either motor vehicle or pedestrian/cyclist injury across Canada.”

Full text of the study, “Did the cannabis recreational use law affect traffic crash outcomes in Toronto? Building evidence for the adequate number of authorized cannabis stores’ thresholds,” appears in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana and Psychomotor Performance.’

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Canadian Cancer Patients Report Decreased Pain, Fewer Opioids After Cannabis Treatment

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Science.

Arguably the top place for cannabis research right now is in Canada, largely due to the fact that the nation currently has the best national cannabis laws on the planet. Canada is one of only three countries to have passed a national cannabis legalization measure, with the other two being Uruguay and Malta.

The favorable laws, in turn, make barriers and hurdles to launching and completing research projects less daunting. Canada’s cannabis consumer and patient populations are considerably larger than that of Uruguay and Malta combined, and the North American country is a wealth of cannabis-focused data, including data pertaining to medical cannabis patients and use.

Researchers in Canada recently conducted a study involving cancer patients who completed medical cannabis treatments. What the study participants reported after their medical cannabis treatments is insightful. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Montreal, Canada: Cannabis is associated with sustained reductions in cancer pain and may be safely incorporated in cancer patients’ treatment regimens, according to data published in the journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care.

Canadian researchers affiliated with McGill University assessed the safety and efficacy of plant-derived cannabis in 358 cancer patients. Study participants consumed cannabis as an adjunctive treatment for one year.

Subjects experienced statistically significant decreases in pain within three months. Patients maintained their pain relief throughout the study. Participants who consumed cannabis flower containing nearly equal percentages of THC and CBD experienced greatest relief.

Although some patients reported side-effects from cannabis, most of these episodes were categorized as “non-serious.” Patients were most likely to report experiencing sleepiness or fatigue.

Investigators reported: “We found MC [medical cannabis] to be a safe and effective treatment option to help with cancer pain relief. THC/CBD balanced products appear to perform better as compared with THC-dominant and CBD-dominant products. Furthermore, we observed consistent decreases in medication burden and opioid use in our patient population. Hence, our data suggest a role for MC as a safe and complementary treatment option in patients with cancer failing to reach adequate pain relief through conventional analgesics, such as opioids.”

Dozens of studies document decreases in patients’ consumption of opioids, benzodiazepines, and other prescription medications following their use of cannabis.

Numerous placebo-controlled trials document the ability of either inhaled or vaporized herbal cannabis to significantly mitigate pain in various patient populations, including those suffering from HIV, diabetes, spinal cord injury, or severe treatment-resistant neuropathy (nerve pain). A 2017 review by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concluded that “conclusive or substantial evidence” exists for cannabis’ efficacy in patients suffering from chronic pain, stating, “Patients who [are] treated with cannabis or cannabinoids are more likely to experience a clinically significant reduction in pain symptoms.”

Full text of the study, “Medical cannabis is effective for cancer-related pain: Quebec Cannabis Registry results,” appears in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. Additional information on cannabis and chronic pain is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.

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Canadian Legalization Associated With “Significant Reductions” In Police-Reported Cannabis Offences

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Policy.

Previously, researchers in Canada reported that the 2018 Canadian Cannabis Act was associated with a short-term post-legalization reduction in police-reported cannabis-related crimes among youth.

In an attempt to try to establish whether the reduction was sustained, the researchers then examined new data several years after legalization was implemented. The new study included three years of post-legalization data in addition to the data from the prior study.

“Using national daily criminal incident data from January 1, 2015–December 31, 2021 from the Canadian Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR-2), the study employed Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) time series models to assess the associations between legalization and youth cannabis-related offences.” the researchers stated about the design of the study.

The data involved police-reported cannabis-related offenses among youth aged 12-17 years (male, n = 34,508; female, n = 9,529).

“Legalization was associated with significant reductions in both male and female police-reported cannabis-related offences: females, 4.04 daily incidents [95% confidence interval (CI), 3.08; 5.01)], a 62.1% decrease [standard error (se), 34.3%]; males, 12.42 daily offences (95% CI, 8.99; 15.86), a reduction of 53.0% (se, 22.7%). There was no evidence of associations between cannabis legalization and patterns of property or violent crimes.” the researchers stated.

“Results suggest that the impact of the Cannabis Act on reducing cannabis-related youth crimes is sustained, supporting the Act’s objectives to reduce cannabis-related criminalization among youth and associated burden on Canadian criminal justice system.” the researchers concluded.

In addition to reductions in cannabis-related youth crimes being reported, legalization in Canada has served as a tremendous economic booster. Previous studies have found that the legal cannabis industry in Canada has created at least 151,000 jobs.

Additionally, Deloitte estimates that the legal cannabis industry in Canada has contributed over $43.5 billion to the nation’s GDP since the start of legalization. Cannabis companies have directly invested roughly $4.4 billion into Canada’s economy, with the remaining boost to GDP coming from “indirect” economic contributions, and “induced” contributions according to Deloitte.

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Canadian Study Finds Cannabis Products Effective In Self-Management Of Myofascial Pelvic Pain

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Science.

Myofascial pelvic pain syndrome is a health condition involving pelvic pain that is often described by sufferers as ‘short, tight, tender pelvic floor muscles that can include palpable nodules or trigger points.’

While it’s unclear how many people around the globe suffer from the condition, it is estimated that 22% to 94% of cases of chronic pelvic pain involve myofascial pain. Chronic pelvic pain is one of the most common gynecologic conditions around the planet.

Treatments for myofascial pelvic pain vary from patient to patient, with many patients relying on their own regimens for treatment. Cannabis is a popular medicine for sufferers, and according to a recent study in Canada, there’s good reason to incorporate it into treatment strategies. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Vancouver, Canada: A significant percentage of women suffering from myofascial pelvic pain (MPP) acknowledge using cannabis and/or cannabis-products as a way to effectively mitigate their symptoms, according to data published in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology.

Canadian investigators surveyed 135 female patients with MPP, 57 percent of whom acknowledged using cannabis. Among marijuana consumers, 79 percent said that they used cannabis products to treat their pelvic pain. Nearly eighty percent of those respondents said that they began using cannabis because conventional treatments were ineffective. Nearly half of consumers said that they used cannabis daily, and more than half did so via inhalation.

“On a scale of zero (totally ineffective) to 10 (totally effective), 69 percent of users rated the effectiveness of cannabis as 7 or higher at relieving pelvic pain,” authors reported. Among non-users, 64 percent said that they “would be willing” to try cannabis as an option to treat pelvic pain.

A survey’s findings are consistent with those of prior studies finding that an increasing percentage of patients with pelvic pain are accessing either cannabis or cannabis products, and that those patients who do so are consuming fewer opioids.

Full text of the study, “Cannabis use preferences in women with myofascial pelvic pain: A cross-sectional study,” appears in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology.

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Canadian Researchers Find Alcohol To Be Involved In More Crashes Than THC

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Science.

Whenever cannabis reform is being proposed, it’s very common for opponents to ramp up scare tactics related to impaired driving. Don’t get me wrong, preventing impaired driving on public roadways is absolutely a worthwhile endeavor.

However, conversations and strategies regarding the mitigation of impaired drivers need to be sensible, and math and science need to lead the way, which unfortunately does not always happen.

The fact of the matter is that alcohol is much more problematic compared to THC, as demonstrated in a recent study out of Canada. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Drivers treated for traffic-related injuries are more likely to test positive for high levels of alcohol (BAC ≥ 0.08 percent) than they are likely to test positive for elevated levels of THC (THC in blood ≥ 5 ng/mL), according to data published in the journal Addiction.

Canadian investigators quantified and reviewed alcohol and THC concentrations in a cohort of nearly 7,000 injured drivers.

They reported, “In this sample, there were over three times as many drivers with BAC ≥ 0.08% (12.6 percent) than with THC ≥ 5 ng/mL (3.5 percent), suggesting that alcohol remains a greater threat to road safety.”

Authors also acknowledged that drivers who tested positive for high levels of alcohol were more likely to be involved in single vehicle accidents as well as in motor vehicle accidents resulting in serious injuries.

Because THC can remain present in blood for extended periods of time, the study’s authors emphasized that at least some subjects who tested positive for cannabis may not necessarily have had recent exposure to it. They further emphasized that subjects testing positive for the presence of THC at levels below 5 ng/ml are typically not under the influence and likely do not possess a significantly increased risk of being involved in a motor vehicle accident.

Driving simulator studies generally report that cannabis administration is associated with compensatory driving behavior, such as decreased mean speed and increased mean following distance, whereas alcohol administration is associated with more aggressive driving behavior. Nevertheless, cannabis exposure can influence certain psychomotor skills necessary for safe driving, such as reaction time and drivers’ ability to maintain lane positioning.

A study conducted by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that drivers who test positive for any amount of THC possess, on average, a far lower risk of being involved in a traffic collision than  do drivers who test positive for alcohol at or near legal limits.

By contrast, drivers who test positive for the presence of both THC and alcohol in their system tend to possess significantly higher odds of being involved in a motor vehicle accident than do those who test positive for either substance alone.

Full text of the study, “A comparison of cannabis and alcohol use in drivers presenting to hospital after a vehicular collision,” appears in Addiction. Additional information on cannabis and driving performance is available from  NORML’s Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana and Psychomotor Performance.’

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Premier Doug Ford Is Not A Fan Of Cannabis Clubs

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Business, Policy.

Cannabis clubs are becoming more common around the world, particularly in Canada. Unfortunately, some lawmakers and regulators continue to seemingly act as if prohibiting social cannabis use venues will prevent them from operating. A recent example of that can be found via comments made by Ontario Premier Doug Ford after he heard a pitch for cannabis clubs provided by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

“I don’t like the idea of having a lounge outside and they’re smoking or doobies or weed or whatever the heck they call it now,” said Premier Ford according to the Toronto Star. “If you want to do your stuff, do it somewhere else. That’s my opinion.”

The recent comments were unfortunate, although, they do not reflect the reality of what is happening throughout much of Canada. When consumers go “somewhere else” it’s often a cannabis speakeasy. Furthermore, people are going to consume cannabis at events such as concerts, just as they have for many, many years. Lawmakers like Premier Ford can choose to stick their heads in the sand and pretend like social cannabis use doesn’t already exist, however, that denial of reality comes at a cost to public health, safety, and revenue.

Common Ground

Whether Premier Doug Ford realizes it or not, contained in his recent comments is an argument for regulating social cannabis use and allowing venues to be licensed. Per Premier Ford’s own words, he doesn’t “like the idea of having a lounge outside and they’re smoking.” What is being proposed is private venues, where people can consume cannabis out of public view.

As responsible cannabis consumers will be quick to point out, they typically don’t prefer to consume cannabis on a sidewalk or in an alley. Speaking for myself, I’d much rather consume cannabis in a private social setting. When I am away from home and I don’t have a private setting to consume in, I’d gladly go to a regulated venue to smoke cannabis instead of doing so in a park or on the side of a building. If Premier Ford’s main argument is that he doesn’t want cannabis consumption to be a nuisance, then he should be advocating for cannabis clubs and not against them.

Accepting Reality

Cannabis consumers and patients want cannabis clubs, other private social venues, and consumption-friendly events. Just as some adults want to consume alcohol around their current friends and family, and/or want to make new friends, the same is true for cannabis. For patients specifically, they need to be able to consume their medicine wherever they are, and social cannabis businesses help facilitate that.

The unregulated cannabis market is going to fill any voids left by deficient public policy. If lawmakers like Premier Ford do not want to pursue sensible public policy and do not want to allow social use entities to legally operate, such entities will still surely exist, they will just be less safe and zero percent of any profits will go to public coffers. Lawmakers in Ontario, Canada, and everywhere else would be wise to embrace cannabis clubs rather than oppose them. Calls for social use reform are not going away, and will only get louder as the emerging legal cannabis industry continues to expand.

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Cannabis Sales In Canada Are Not Associated With An Increase In Crash Hospitalizations

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Business, Policy.

Earlier this week we covered a report that was recently issued by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation titled, “Recreational Cannabis Consumption Spaces in Canada.” The report was published with support from the Canada Safety Council and DRIVE SOBER®.

In many ways, the report failed to provide proper context and seemed to try to portray cannabis in the most negative light possible, with a heavy focus on public roadway fearmongering. The results of a recent traffic-injury study are proving to be quite timely, as the findings of this new study seem to contradict many points that were recently offered up by cannabis opponents.

A new study based out of Canada examined traffic-injury hospitalization data in an attempt to see if the launch of legal adult-use sales in Canada was associated with an increase in traffic-injury hospitalization rates. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Toronto, Canada: The implementation of adult-use marijuana sales in Canada is not associated with any increase in traffic injury-related hospitalizations, according to data published in the journal Addiction.

Investigators assessed nationwide rates of emergency department visits and hospitalizations in the years before and immediately following legalization.

Authors concluded, “Overall, there is no clear evidence that RCL [recreational cannabis laws] had any effect on rates of ED visits and hospitalizations for either motor vehicle or pedestrian/cyclist injury across Canada.”

The findings are consistent with those of a 2021 Canadian study that similarly “found no evidence that the implementation of the Cannabis Act was associated with significant changes in post-legalization patterns of all drivers’ traffic-injury ED visits or, more specifically, youth-driver traffic-injury ED presentations.”

Several studies from the United States also found no significant changes in traffic safety in the years immediately following the enactment of adult-use legalization. However, other assessments evaluating longer-term trends in traffic safety following legalization have yielded inconsistent results.

Full text of the study, “The effect of recreational cannabis legalization on rates of traffic injury in Canada,” appears in Addiction. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana and Psychomotor Performance.’

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Prime Minister Trudeau: Time To “Catch Up” With The Cannabis Industry

Written by Hazel Norman on . Posted in Business, Policy.

Canada remains the only country on earth where anyone of legal age can make a legal adult-use cannabis purchase regardless of residency status. The only country to legalize cannabis for adult use prior to Canada doing so in 2018 was Uruguay back in 2013.

Unlike in Canada, Uruguay limits adult-use sales to residents only. Malta is the only other country on the planet right now that has also passed an adult-use legalization measure, however, the only way to legally purchase cannabis in Malta will be via licensed non-profit cannabis clubs, and no licenses seem to have been issued thus far. Malta started accepting applications for clubs late last month.

Until legal sales to non-residents become a reality elsewhere, Canada will continue to be in a league of its own. Canada’s legalization model and related policies are obviously not perfect, although, they are still exponentially better than prohibition.

The industry has succeeded by many measures despite it operating on a playing field that is far from level compared to other legal industries of its size in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made comments recently that suggest a leveling of the playing field may be on the horizon. Per excerpts from initial reporting by StratCann:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged the need for the government to “catch up” with the cannabis industry’s concerns around issues like high taxation in a recent public event.

In his response, Trudeau first brought up the government’s historical public-health focussed messaging around legaization, but noted that now that the legal system is established, the government has a need to take a look at ensuring those businesses who “stepped up” in this new industry can survive.

“Now that we’ve got the public health and safety stuff out of the way, or on the way, I think you’re absolutely right that we should absolutely take a much closer look at ‘okay, what do we do then to make sure that this is a beneficial industry?’

As we previously reported, the legal cannabis industry in Canada had created roughly 151,000 jobs as of February 2022. Additionally, the emerging legal cannabis industry is responsible for generating over $15 billion since legal adult-use sales launched in late 2018.

Deloitte estimates that the legal cannabis industry in Canada has contributed over $43.5 billion to the nation’s GDP since the start of legalization. Cannabis companies have directly invested roughly $4.4 billion into Canada’s economy, with the remaining boost to GDP coming from “indirect” economic contributions, and “induced” contributions according to Deloitte.

As impressive as those statistics are, they come from an era in which Canada’s cannabis industry faced needless hurdles, many of which are still in place today. Hopefully Prime Minster Trudeau puts actions behind his recent words and does everything in his power to help his nation’s emerging cannabis industry reach its full potential.