Cannabis Law Reform in Canada: Pretense & Perils
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2017 Cannabis Law Reform in Canada: Pretense & Perils Michael DeVillaer The Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research McMaster University St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton Hamilton Ontario Canada If justice perishes, human life on earth has lost its meaning. Immanuel Kant Cannabis Law Reform in Canada: Pretense and Perils examines the Canadian government’s campaign to legalize cannabis for recreational use. The government’s stated case is that the contraband trade poses a serious threat to cannabis users (including ‘kids’), and that a legal, regulated industry will provide protection. This report draws upon research on the contraband trade, our established legal drug industries (alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceutical), and government efforts to regulate these industries. This investigation concludes that the government’s case, on all counts, is weak. Its depiction of the contraband cannabis trade amounts to little more than unsubstantiated, vestigial reefer madness. Our legal drug industries engage in a relentless, indiscriminate, and sometimes illegal, pursuit of revenue with substantial harm to the public’s health and to the Canadian economy. Early indications warn that an ambitious cannabis industry is on a similar trajectory. These industries are enabled by permissive and ineffective regulatory oversight by government. Cannabis Law Reform in Canada: Pretense and Perils recommends immediate decriminalization of minor cannabis-related offences to curtail the criminalization of large numbers of mostly young Canadians. It also supports the legalization of cannabis for recreational use, but strongly asserts that the prevailing profit-driven, poorly- regulated paradigm is a dangerous one. The legalization of cannabis in Canada provides an opportunity to try a different approach – a not-for-profit cannabis authority – functioning with a genuine public health priority. 2 About Mike DeVillaer Mike DeVillaer is a part-time Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University and faculty member with the Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research in Hamilton Canada. Over his nearly four decades with The Addiction Research Foundation and The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Mike has enjoyed a varied career as a clinician, research/evaluation collaborator, educator, and policy advocate, playing a leadership role in the evolution of the addiction treatment system in Hamilton and Ontario. He also established and chaired CAMH’s Tobacco Policy Group. At McMaster University, he has made substantial contributions to addictions curriculum in undergraduate medical education and has played a leadership role in two province-wide medical school initiatives: Educating Future Physicians for Ontario (EFPO) and Project CREATE. He has been a recipient of the John C. Sibley Award for Excellence in Health Sciences Research and Education at McMaster. Mike’s current interests include epidemiology of drug problems and drug policy. 3 About The Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research The Mission of PBCAR is to conduct state-of-the-art research on the causes, consequences, and treatment of addiction. Addictive disorders, such as alcohol use disorder, nicotine dependence, illicit drug addiction and pathological gambling, are among the most widespread psychiatric disorders in Canada and around the world. Approximately one in five Canadians experience addiction over their lifetime. Addictive disorders commonly co-occur with other psychiatric disorders, such as mood disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder, and are major contributors to cardiovascular disease, cancer, sexually transmitted diseases and accidental injury and death. In economic terms, addiction has an estimated annual burden of 40 billion dollars. In human terms, the toll addiction takes on those who are afflicted and their loved ones is incalculable. The Peter Boris Center for Addictions Research is a joint collaboration between McMaster University and St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton (Ontario Canada) to advance the scientific understanding of addiction. Located at the St. Joseph's West 5th campus, the state-of-the-art Juravinski Centre for Integrated Healthcare, the Centre serves as a nexus for faculty in McMaster's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences and collaborators at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and Homewood Health Centre. Although the interests in the Centre are diverse, the collective goal is to conduct innovative empirical research that pushes the boundaries of new knowledge and bridges the gap between science and practice. 4 Acknowledgements Several individuals made helpful suggestions at various stages in the development of this report. These include Patricia Erickson, Roberta Ferrence, Norman Giesbrecht, James McKillop, Robert Simpson, Paula Stanghetta, and Darryl Upfold. However, the author retains exclusive responsibility for the final content, including any errors or omissions. The cover photo is by Petr Brož from the Czech Republic. It was accessed from Wikimedia Commons, and adapted by the author. The perspectives and recommendations contained herein are those of the author and do not necessarily extend to the reviewers listed above or to the faculty affiliated with the Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research or serve as the official position statement of the Centre. In addition, the perspectives and recommendations do not constitute the official positions of either McMaster University or St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. Suggested Citation: DeVillaer Michael. Cannabis Law Reform in Canada: Pretense & Perils. Hamilton Canada: McMaster University, The Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research. February 2017. Inquiries: Mike DeVillaer ([email protected]) 5 Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... 5 Preface ........................................................................................................................ 8 Executive Summary ................................................................................................... 10 1. A Brief Orientation to Cannabis Law Reform ............................................................ 13 2. Decriminalization: A Humanitarian First Step ........................................................... 16 2.1 Definition ............................................................................................................. 16 2.2 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 16 2.3 Impact on Consumer Demand, Ease of Access, Use and Associated Problems 16 2.4 Impact on Public Safety & Propriety ................................................................... 17 2.5 Impact on Cannabis Product Safety ................................................................... 20 2.6 Impact on Social Justice ..................................................................................... 21 2.7 Improving the Traditional Model of Decriminalization ......................................... 22 2.7.1 Non-punitive Decriminalization ..................................................................... 22 2.7.2 De Facto Decriminalization .......................................................................... 23 2.8 The Impact of Delaying Decriminalization ........................................................... 24 2.9 Decriminalization: Beyond the Here and Now .................................................... 28 Recommendation #1 .................................................................................................. 29 3. A Legal, Government-Regulated, Commercial Cannabis Industry ........................... 30 3.1 Definition ............................................................................................................. 30 3.2 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 30 3.3 Harm and Costs of Products from Legal, Government-regulated, Commercial Drug Industries .......................................................................................................... 31 3.4 Impact on the Contraband Cannabis Trade ........................................................ 32 3.5 Impact on Demand, Access, Use and Problems ................................................. 33 3.5.1 Demand........................................................................................................ 33 3.5.2 Ease of Access ............................................................................................ 35 3.5.3 Increased Use and Associated Problems..................................................... 36 3.6 Impact on Cannabis Product Safety ................................................................... 37 3.7 Drug Industry Conduct and Regulatory Effectiveness ........................................ 41 3.7.1 The Alcohol Industry .................................................................................... 41 3.7.2 The Tobacco Industry .................................................................................. 46 3.7.3 The Pharmaceutical Industry ........................................................................ 49 3.7.4 The Cannabis Industry ................................................................................. 57 6 3.7.5 The Canadian Cannabis Industry in Transition: More Pretense & Perils ...... 60 3.7.5.1 The Promise and the Reality