Justine Renard
All Authors:J. Renard, N. Sanger, S. Wood, R. Gabrys. Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction, Canada
Background:
On October 17, 2018, Canada legalized nonmedical cannabis for adult use. The main goals of the Cannabis Act aimed to enhance safety, protect public health, and reduce crime, illegal markets, and youth access to cannabis. Limited data exists on the impact of legalization on health and safety of people living in Canada, which is needed to inform future policy development and public health intervention. This review assesses available evidence on the public health and safety impacts of cannabis legalization in Canada and identifies gaps in the literature.
Methodology:
Literature was identified through searches of PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and Campbell Collaboration databases. After initial screening of abstracts and titles, authors independently reviewed the full text of articles. Articles published from October 2018 which primarily addressed public health and safety impacts of cannabis legalization in Canada were included for analysis.
Results:
The initial search produced 1125 titles, with 183 selected for full-text review, and 99 included for extraction and analysis. Our findings show impacts of cannabis legalization on different health and social indicators such as usage patterns, emergency department visits, mental health, impaired driving, criminal activity, and cannabis-related injuries, while considering specific populations and communities. Current evidence gaps and key recommendations for research and policy are also identified.
Conclusions:
While it is still premature to draw definitive conclusions on the full impacts of cannabis legalization in Canada, key outcome indicators have shown important changes, prompting the need for ongoing, rigorous monitoring to inform policymakers and uphold public health objectives in Canada.