Government of Canada Launches Task Force and Public Consultation for a New System Governing Access to Legalized Marijuana

On June 30, 2016, the Government of Canada announced the creation of a task force and a public consultation period to advise regulators about the crafting of new processes to govern access to legalized marijuana.

The Government of Canada also released a discussion paper that lists the objectives and issues relating to the new regulatory system, including issues such as the minimum age for legal purchase, advertising and marketing restrictions, and other product restrictions.  The discussion paper further sets out options detailing how these issues could be addressed, and identifies areas in which expertise and public input is being sought.

In the coming months, the task force will engage with provincial, municipal and territorial governments, Indigenous governments and organizations, young Canadians, groups with expertise in production, distribution and sales, and experts in fields such as public health, substance abuse, criminal justice, law enforcement, economics, and industry. The task force will present its report to three Cabinet Ministers in November 2016, with the final report to be made public by the Ministers.

Members of the public can provide input and share their views about the design of the new system until August 29, 2016 by sending a letter or email to the contact address listed here.

Summary by: Thomas Wong