Skip to content
  1. Home
  2. News

Feds to look at public-health impact of cannabis legalization in mandated review

Federal ministers are expected to launch a long-awaited review of the government’s cannabis legislation today.
The Canadian Press
30472516_web1_20220720140748-62d84e9e0af37de9fbd5480cjpeg
Carolyn Bennett rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, June 10, 2022. Canada’s minister of mental health and addictions says more doctors across the country should be willing to prescribe a safer supply of drugs instead of fearing they will be investigated by their regulatory colleges.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Federal ministers are expected to launch a long-awaited review of the government’s cannabis legislation today.

The Liberals lifted a century-long prohibition on the recreational use and sale of cannabis in October 2018, with the provision that they review the law three years after to comes into force.

That review is nearly one year overdue.

The legislation dictates that the federal government must investigate the impact of legalization on public health, youth consumption and Indigenous persons and communities.

The review will also look at the cultivation of cannabis in homes.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett must present a report to the House of Commons and Senate within 18 months of the launch of the review.