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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 11:40 am
Time: 11:40 am
Results for cannabis legalization
2 results foundAuthor: Canada. Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Title: A Framework for the Legalization and Regulation of Cannabis in Canada Summary: On June 30, 2016, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and the Minister of Health announced the creation of a nine-member Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation (“the Task Force”). Our mandate was to consult and provide advice on the design of a new legislative and regulatory framework for legal access to cannabis, consistent with the Government’s commitment to “legalize, regulate, and restrict access.” To fulfill our mandate, we engaged with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, experts, patients, advocates, Indigenous governments and representative organizations, employers and industry. We heard from many other Canadians as well, including many young people, who participated in an online public consultation that generated nearly 30,000 submissions from individuals and organizations. The Task Force looked internationally (e.g., Colorado, Washington State, Uruguay) to learn from jurisdictions that have legalized cannabis for non-medical purposes, and we drew lessons from the way governments in Canada have regulated tobacco and alcohol, and cannabis for medical purposes. A Discussion Paper prepared by the Government, entitled “Toward the Legalization, Regulation and Restriction of Access to Marijuana,” informed the Task Force’s work and helped to focus the input of many of the people from whom we heard. The Discussion Paper identified nine public policy objectives. Chief among these are keeping cannabis out of the hands of children and youth and keeping profits out of the hands of organized crime. The Task Force set out guiding principles as the foundation of our advice to Ministers: protection of public health and safety, compassion, fairness, collaboration, a commitment to evidenceinformed policy and flexibility. In considering the experience of other jurisdictions and the views of experts, stakeholders and the public, we sought to strike a balance between implementing appropriate restrictions, in order to minimize the harms associated with cannabis use, and providing adult access to a regulated supply of cannabis while reducing the scope and scale of the illicit market and its social harms. Our recommendations reflect a public health approach to reduce harm and promote health. We also took a precautionary approach to minimize unintended consequences, given that the relevant evidence is often incomplete or inconclusive. Minimizing Harms of Use In taking a public health approach to the regulation of cannabis, the Task Force proposes measures that will maintain and improve the health of Canadians by minimizing the harms associated with cannabis use. This approach considers the risks associated with cannabis use, including the risks of developmental harms to youth; the risks associated with patterns of consumption, including frequent use and co-use of cannabis with alcohol and tobacco; the risks to vulnerable populations; and the risks related to interactions with the illicit market. In addition to considering scientific evidence and input from stakeholders, the Task Force examined how other jurisdictions have attempted to minimize harms of use. We examined a range of protective measures, including a minimum age of use, promotion and advertising restrictions, and packaging and labelling requirements for cannabis products. In order to minimize harms, the Task Force recommends that the federal government: f Set a national minimum age of purchase of 18, acknowledging the right of provinces and territories to harmonize it with their minimum age of purchase of alcohol f Apply comprehensive restrictions to the advertising and promotion of cannabis and related merchandise by any means, including sponsorship, endorsements and branding, similar to the restrictions on promotion of tobacco products f Allow limited promotion in areas accessible by adults, similar to those restrictions under the Tobacco Act f Require plain packaging for cannabis products that allows the following information on packages: company name, strain name, price, amounts of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) and warnings and other labelling requirements f Impose strict sanctions on false or misleading promotion as well as promotion that encourages excessive consumption, where promotion is allowed f Require that any therapeutic claims made in advertising conform to applicable legislation f Resource and enable the detection and enforcement of advertising and marketing violations, including via traditional and social media f Prohibit any product deemed to be “appealing to children,” including products that resemble or mimic familiar food items, are packaged to look like candy, or packaged in bright colours or with cartoon characters or other pictures or images that would appeal to children f Require opaque, re-sealable packaging that is childproof or child-resistant to limit children’s access to any cannabis product f Additionally, for edibles: Z Implement packaging with standardized, single servings, with a universal THC symbol Z Set a maximum amount of THC per serving and per product f Prohibit mixed products, for example cannabis-infused alcoholic beverages or cannabis products with tobacco, nicotine or caffeine f Require appropriate labelling on cannabis products, including: Z Text warning labels (e.g., “KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN”) Z Levels of THC and CBD Z For edibles, labelling requirements that apply to food and beverage products f Create a flexible legislative framework that could adapt to new evidence on specific product types, on the use of additives or sweeteners, or on specifying limits of THC or other components f Provide regulatory oversight for cannabis concentrates to minimize the risks associated with illicit production f Develop strategies to encourage consumption of less potent cannabis, including a price and tax scheme based on potency to discourage purchase of high-potency products f Require all cannabis products to include labels identifying levels of THC and CBD f Enable a flexible legislative framework that could adapt to new evidence to set rules for limits on THC or other components f Develop and implement factual public education strategies to inform Canadians as to risks of problematic use and lower-risk use guidance f Conduct the necessary economic analysis to establish an approach to tax and price that balances health protection with the goal of reducing the illicit market f Work with provincial and territorial governments to determine a tax regime that includes equitable distribution of revenues f Create a flexible system that can adapt tax and price approaches to changes within the marketplace f Commit to using revenue from cannabis as a source of funding for administration, education, research and enforcement f Design a tax scheme based on THC potency to discourage purchase of high-potency products f Implement as soon as possible an evidenceinformed public education campaign, targeted at the general population but with an emphasis on youth, parents and vulnerable populations f Co-ordinate messaging with provincial and territorial partners f Adapt educational messages as evidence and understanding of health risks evolve, working with provincial and territorial partners f Facilitate and monitor ongoing research on cannabis and impairment, considering implications for occupational health and safety policies f Work with existing federal, provincial and territorial bodies to better understand potential occupational health and safety issues related to cannabis impairment f Work with provinces, territories, employers and labour representatives to facilitate the development of workplace impairment policies The Task Force further recommends that: f In the period leading up to legalization, and thereafter on an ongoing basis, governments invest effort and resources in developing, implementing and evaluating broad, holistic prevention strategies to address the underlying risk factors and determinants of problematic cannabis use, such as mental illness and social marginalization f Governments commit to using revenue from cannabis regulation as a source of funding for prevention, education and treatment Details: Ottawa: Health Canada, 2016. 112p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 23, 2016 at: http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/task-force-marijuana-groupe-etude/framework-cadre/alt/framework-cadre-eng.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Canada URL: http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/task-force-marijuana-groupe-etude/framework-cadre/alt/framework-cadre-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 147805 Keywords: CannabisCannabis LegalizationDrug LegalizationDrug PolicyMarijuana |
Author: New York City. Mayor's Task Force on Cannabis Legalization Title: A Fair Approach to Marijuana: Recommendations from the Mayor's Task Force on Cannabis Legalization Summary: New York State may be poised to legalize non-medical adult cannabis use in the coming year, joining ten other states and the District of Columbia. This crossroads presents New York City with unique challenges and opportunities. These challenges include working to see that the State legislation is best structured to protect New York City residents and visitors to avoid unwanted consequences from adult legalization. The legislation, and State and City regulations that follow, must do all they can to protect the health and safety of New Yorkers. At the same time, we have the responsibility to use this turning point to help redress the disproportionate harms that criminalization of cannabis use has caused the City's communities of color. Legalization also poses unique opportunities to build a new industry in ways that advance our City's commitment to promote economic opportunities for economically disadvantaged New Yorkers and small businesses. The State legislation should forge a path to opportunities not for big corporations but for New Yorkers who need them most. Ongoing federal criminalization of cannabis adds further complexity to these challenges, perpetuating potential ill-consequences particularly for disadvantaged communities while limiting access to financial, tax, and other services and benefits to support the burgeoning industry. To help chart the City's course for cannabis legalization, Mayor Bill de Blasio convened the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization with the charge of identifying the goals and challenges that should guide the City's preparations for potential legalization. The Task Force includes representatives of City agencies that engage in areas affected by cannabis legalization, including those concerned with public health, public safety, education, economic opportunity, and finance, among others. The Task Force reviewed the range of regulatory regimes in other jurisdictions that have legalized adult cannabis use and the practical experiences of those jurisdictions. It conducted interviews with public health and public safety officials throughout the nation and in Canada, and consulted with academic and other experts, New York City officials, and community organizations. Task Force members also attended community listening sessions in New York City to hear the views of New Yorkers on the issues posed by legalization. Based on this research, the Task Force developed the following guiding principles for cannabis legalization and the recommendations summarized in the Executive Summary and detailed in the report below. Details: New York City: Mayor's Task Force on Cannabis Legalization, 2018. 79p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 30, 2019 at: http://criminaljustice.cityofnewyork.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/A-Fair-Approach-to-Marijuana.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://criminaljustice.cityofnewyork.us/reports/mayors-task-force-on-cannabis-legalization/ Shelf Number: 155247 Keywords: Cannabis LegalizationDrug PolicyDrug ReformIllegal DrugsMarijuana LegalizationNew York CityPublic Health |