File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Five years later, dire consequences of legal weed haven’t happened

Oct 12, 2023 | 4:57 AM

IT’S BEEN FIVE YEARS — actually, five years less a week — since recreational cannabis was legalized in Canada. Have you noticed the difference?

Canada was the second country in the world to legalize it. Kamloops was the first city in B.C. to have a government-run cannabis store.

The opening of that store was a big deal. There were lineups long before the doors opened.

There were predictions of dire consequences. Canada would turn into a nation of stoned-out pot heads. The streets would be filled with the disgusting smell of the evil weed.

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It hasn’t happened. The streets of Kamloops are different than they were five years ago but not because of cannabis. It’s the same in towns and cities across the country.

The Canadian Medical Association Journal published a review Tuesday on the impact of nonmedical cannabis legalization in which it says 27 per cent of Canadian adults now say they use cannabis, but that’s up only a few percentage points prior to legalization.

Two-thirds of them source their cannabis legally. Criminal arrests and charges are down substantially. Impaired driving cases haven’t appreciable increased.

With the rules for public consumption similar to those for tobacco, we rarely have to put up with marijuana smoke — though it happens occasionally, it doesn’t ruin anyone’s life. The change from illegal pot shops to legal stores has, overall, been positive.

There are some downsides. Kids and pets are at risk of serious illness if they accidentally ingest cannabis. Some medical consequences are still being studied.

And impaired-driving stats — the Journal story acknowledges that, in B.C., impaired driving hospitalizations involving THC have increased since legalization. Hospital emergency admissions related to cannabis in general are up.

However, the Journal article states it’s too early to draw conclusions that might impact policy. It is still, says the CMAJ, “a relative novelty.” Maybe, but one thing is quite clear — the dire consequences being predicted five years ago simply haven’t materialized.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.