The Impact of Cannabis on Canadian Youth

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As the country celebrates its third anniversary of legalizing cannabis, we must also be concerned about its impact on Canadian youth. This is a serious issue as it affects their health, school performance, cognitive decline and lifetime achievement.

Cannabis use remains prevalent among youth, with some regions reporting higher rates than others. This raises questions about whether the regulations that Canada imposed to restrict youth access are working.

Medical

Medical cannabis is available for patients who suffer from a variety of health conditions, including chronic pain and cancer. It is an effective alternative to opiates and can also be used as a complement to prescribed medication.

In Canada, medical cannabis is regulated by the government and is available through licensed producers. You must be a registered patient and have a doctor’s prescription to buy medical cannabis.

OHIP and ODSP cover the cost of your appointments with your physician, however, your medical cannabis and any devices you purchase, such as vaporizers, are not covered by these plans. Private insurance plans, like the ones offered by some employers, may cover a portion of your medical cannabis costs if you’re treating a specific list of diseases.

Advocates with a prominent medical marijuana organization are concerned that Health Canada has quietly cancelled a dedicated five-year review of the country’s medical cannabis access program in the wake of recreational legalization. They say the decision appears to be wrapped into a larger review of the Cannabis Act that came into effect nearly a year ago.

Recreational

Since Canada’s legalization of recreational cannabis in 2018, more Canadians have reported using the drug. However, there are some concerns about how it’s being used.

The Canadian government has a number of goals when it comes to legalization, including keeping the drug out of the hands of youth and taking profits away from criminals. As a result, some regulations restrict where and how people can buy cannabis.

Some provinces have government-run retail shops that sell cannabis; others allow private dispensaries. Both have different rules on what products are available, pricing and customer service.

In addition to these restrictions, a number of other controls are in place. These include general prohibitions on marketing that’s appealing to youth, and other regulations aimed at protecting public health.

Legality

Federal legislation legalized the sale and consumption of recreational cannabis in October 2018. The types of products that are sold legally include dried or fresh cannabis, oils, seeds, extracts, topicals and drinks.

The Canadian government established strict safety and quality regulations to protect public health and safety. Moreover, public education has been developed to raise awareness about the potential risks of cannabis use.

Provincial and territorial governments have a responsibility to regulate cannabis retail stores. The rules governing these stores vary across the country. Some jurisdictions have restrictions on the number of stores and how close they are to schools, and others allow communities to set their own rules.

Youth protection is a key focus of cannabis legalization regulation. The minimum age to access cannabis has been set at 18 in most provinces, with a few exceptions. Despite this, youth remain at risk of cannabis-related harms.

Taxes

Cannabis producers are liable to pay excise taxes that can vary from province to province. The amount of tax owed is dependent on the structure of the business and whether it’s eligible for deductions and credits.

Before cannabis was legalized, the federal and provincial governments worked out a deal to share revenue from marijuana taxes, with 75 percent going to the provinces and 25 percent going to Ottawa. In return, the government capped the amount of federal cannabis excise tax revenue at $100 million per year for the first two years.

The cannabis industry is crying foul, arguing that the $1-a-gram minimum tax is taking up too much of their margins and hurting small producers. They argue that the tax rate should be raised to a 10 per cent maximum, then reduced according to the size of the licensed producer.


For more information and buying suggestions on marijuana edibles in Canada, you may want to visit shop grow house.



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