2019 has been quite a year for the legal marijuana industry. In America, Illinois became the first state to legalize cannabis sales, and in Canada, it’s been legal nationwide for a year. Illinois Governor Jay Robert Pritzker welcomes the changes, but is it all upside? What’s the big picture?
Although it has only been a few months since recreational cannabis became legal in Canada, plans for its legalization and regulation go back to the federal election of 2015, with a Liberal Party of Canada campaign pledge to “remove marijuana consumption and incidental possession from the Criminal Code, and create new, stronger laws to punish more severely those who provide it to minors.” Other commitments were to crack down on those who would continue to sell it outside of legal, regulated, and taxed means and anyone operating a motor vehicle while under the influence.
Marijuana has been the subject of research for decades, and many uses for medical marijuana on the body are well-known. It was used to treat gout, malaria, and other conditions in ancient China, and investigation in recent decades has demonstrated its usefulness to help slow the growth of some cancer cells, relieve crippling pain and inflammation from arthritis, lessen pain in those suffering from Crohn’s – a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD),
and even to treat Lupus, a systemic autoimmune disease in which the body’s own immune system attacks its organs and tissues, potentially affecting the kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels, or brain and central nervous system.
The battle over recreational marijuana continues to make headlines across Canada and the United States, where Colorado became the first state to legalize marijuana for adults twenty-one and over in 2012; since then, nine other states have followed suit. Every day, there are countless stories and opinion pieces in newspapers about the financial benefits of investing in marijuana, followed by articles about raids on illegal dispensaries. In anticipation of legalization, however, one story has been pushed to the back pages: the ongoing use of medical marijuana.
Opening on July 8, 2014, Seattle-based Cannabis City made history when it became the first outlet to sell marijuana products legally in Washington State. For the hundreds of customers who lined up down the street and around the block to be among the first to purchase flowers, concentrates, edibles, pre-rolls and other items, the excitement was palpable. For Cannabis City’s owner James Lathrop, it was the culmination of many years of hard work.
The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) was founded over a century ago for the betterment of the nation and is as vital as ever as it continues to address the many issues affecting our everyday lives and well-being. The CPHA represents the public health perspective on a range of issues, including social justice and advocates for the creation of conditions in which Canadians can stay healthy.
When Canadian Liberal party leader Justin Trudeau ran in the last federal election, one of his campaign promises was – if he were to become Prime Minister – the immediate legalization and regulation of marijuana. Calling existing laws a “failed system,” Trudeau’s late September 2015 pledge did not go unnoticed by the Canadian public, provincial government leaders, lawmakers, doctors, and potential investors.