Justin Trudeau and the Canadian government are taking a giant leap in their efforts to legalize recreational cannabis use in the Great White North, but some local doctors think that the charming Prime Minister is going too far by setting the legal cannabis consumption age at 18 years-old.
According to the Toronto Sun, an editorial published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal has doctors taking a harsh stance against the current legalization framework, with claims that allowing 18 year-olds to legally consume cannabis could harm the nation’s young people.
“Simply put, cannabis should not be used by young people.” The editorial, which appears under the byline of Diane Kelsall, the journal’s interim editor-in-chief, says.
In addition to issues with the proposed age limit, the editorial decries the legalization proposal for the allowance of home grows – a rule that has been generally seen as standard in most iterations of American legalization.
“Allowing personal cultivation will increase the risk of diversion and access to cannabis that is not subject to any quality or potency controls,” the article reads.
Canada’s nationwide legalization proposal has been widely heralded as a progressive approach to cannabis reform, but the country’s medical community is making sure that their oppositional voice is heard loud and clear.
“The government appears to be hastening to deliver on a campaign promise without being careful enough about the health impacts of policy.” The article says. “If Parliament truly cares about the public health and safety of Canadians, especially our youth, this bill will not pass.”
