Cannabis Policy: The Example of Canada

Date:

Tuesday, 8 October 2019

Time:

10.00am – 11.30am

Synopsis:

Cannabis policies are changing globally and medical marijuana programmes are part of these changes. Cannabis policymakers need to consider a balance between the medical benefits of medical marijuana and the potential public health consequences and cost. Drawing from the example of Canada, an early adopter of medical marijuana and one of the few countries that has legalised recreational cannabis use, Prof Jürgen Rehm will illustrate two main pressures underlying recent changes.

First, in many high-income countries, cannabis has been used to self-medicate different forms of ailments and diseases, even though there is no evidence of effectiveness for many of these conditions. The perceived effectiveness in single cases has created pressure to change the system to allow such medication.

Second, the cannabis industry is pressuring governments and decision-makers to legalise cannabis or to allow for medical marijuana use with loose regulations, such as without specifying conditions or indications, and requiring only a prescription from a health professional to obtain it. As a result, demand is likely to increase, even in countries with low prevalence of use.

Note: Due to overwhelming response, registration for the dialogue session is now closed.

About the speaker:

Prof Jürgen Rehm

Prof Jürgen Rehm is Senior Scientist at the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Canada and Professor and Inaugural Chair of Addiction Policy at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.