News Analysis
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on April 20—a celebratory day ritualized by cannabis users known as 4/20—that he has successfully kept cannabis out of kids’ hands by legalizing the drug.
The main studies on youth cannabis use, however, “are not very conclusive,” says Chantal Vallerand, executive director of Drug Free Kids Canada.
For example, the government’s Canadian Cannabis Survey shows an uptick in youth usage since legalization in October 2018, while its Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey shows usage rates staying stable.
The conclusions of other studies vary—but none of the studies cited in the government’s engagement paper currently being used in a legislative review of the Cannabis Act show a marked decline in children’s use….