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Cannabis – Information & Resources

According to a 2013 UNICEF Office of Research report, Canadian youth are the top users of cannabis (marijuana, weed) in the developed world.  Alcohol is the only drug used more frequently by Canadian youth.  According to Statistics Canada’s Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Survey (CTADS), the number of youth (21%) and young adults (30%) who used cannabis in 2015 was more than two and a half times that of adults 25 and older (10%). Many of the past year users of cannabis reported using it on a daily or almost daily basis (33%).

In December 2017 the Liquor and Gaming Authority (LGA) of Manitoba released the results of its 2017 Manitoba Cannabis Survey.  The LGA launched this survey earlier in 2017 in anticipation of their expanded mandate to regulate cannabis. The anonymous survey was conducted in September 2017 to build a full picture of who is using cannabis now, how often and how much they use, and how this might look different after legalization. The LGA also asked Manitobans about their expectations for information and public safety. Key survey results are summarized in an infographic.

According to the survey, 21.4% of adults in the province used cannabis in the past year, and another 21.1% say that they plan to try cannabis when it becomes legal. Manitobans want to see clear rules around driving, preventing underage purchase and use, and locations where use is allowed. They also want public education to address the health risks of cannabis for adults and youth, and to provide information about responsible consumption.

Despite widespread belief amongst Canadians that cannabis use is not harmful, it is not a benign drug.  Cannabis use can negatively affect both physical and mental health, brain function (memory, attention & thinking) and driving performance.  For decades, cannabis plants have been selectively bred for increasing levels of its active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Higher levels of THC are associated with increased likelihood of experiencing harms from cannabis use.  Frequent use (daily or almost daily) is also a strong predictor of problems related to cannabis use.

Legalization of Cannabis in Canada

On June 21, 2018, Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act, received Royal Assent. The Government has announced that the Act will come into force on October 17, 2018. The Cannabis Act creates a strict framework for controlling the production, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis in Canada.

The Cannabis Regulations, the Industrial Hemp Regulations, and other regulations which support the Cannabis Act, have now been published in Canada Gazette, Part II:  http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2018/2018-07-11/pdf/g2-15214.pdf

The documents incorporated by reference in the Cannabis Regulations, such as: the Consumer Information – Cannabis, the Cannabis Health Warning Messages, and the Standardized Cannabis Symbol have been posted online at: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/laws-regulations/regulations-support-cannabis-act.html

In addition, certain guidance documents, such as the Application Guide, and Guidance for health products containing cannabis or use with cannabis, have been posted online at: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/drugs-health-products/cannabis-licensing-guide.html and https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/drug-products/applications-submissions/guidance-documents/guidance-cannabis-act-food-and-drugs-act-related-regulations.html   

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact cannabis@canada.ca

Addictions Foundation of Manitoba (AFM)

The Addictions Foundation of Manitoba has developed a number of print resources about drugs of abuse, including cannabis.  “The Basics: Cannabis” covers general information about the effects of cannabis and the risks associated with its use.

Parents who have a youth experiencing problems with alcohol, drugs or gambling can feel helpless and at a loss for how to help their youth. AFM Youth Services offers Parent Intervention Program (PIP) group sessions that provide opportunities to share experiences with others going through similar struggles. These sessions provide an opportunity to learn new ways to interact with youth, discuss the importance of self-care and learn about other AFM services and community supports. Your young person does not have to be involved with AFM for you to take part in PIP.  For more information, please see the Parent Information Program brochure.  AFM also provides important information for parents and caregivers about substance abuse and gambling in youth.  “Talking to your kids about alcohol, drugs and gambling: A guide for parents and caregivers” (English/French) provides information and suggestions for having an effective conversation with young people about sensitive topics like drug use and gambling.

AFM has developed an educational presentation intended for youth audiences.  This presentation contains key information about cannabis, including: common myths and facts about cannabis, the evolving legal status, how and why people use cannabis, the effects of cannabis on the brain and body, indications of when there might be a problem with cannabis use, as well as guidelines for the safer use of cannabis.

AFM is currently sponsoring a youth video contest “What Youth Need to Know… about Cannabis.”  This contest is open only to residents of Manitoba  born on or since April 20, 1999.  More information about the 2018 Youth Video Contest — including previous contest entries, ideas, rules and resources — can be found at the “What Youth Need to Know… about cannabis” site. 

Canada’s Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines (LRCUG)

The Canadian Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines outline the main health risks associated with cannabis use.  The risks depend on a person’s physical health, the type of cannabis products used, and how often the products are used.  These risks include:

  • problems with thinking, memory or physical coordination
  • impaired perceptions or hallucinations
  • fatal & non-fatal injuries, including those from motor-vehicle accidents due to impairment
  • mental health problems & cannabis dependence
  • chronic respiratory or lung problems
  • reproductive problems.

As we prepare for the legalization of cannabis in Canada in 2018, it is important to ensure that accurate information about cannabis is available to make informed choices about its use.  The following resources provide evidence-based information about various aspects of cannabis use.

The Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines are an evidence based public health intervention tool developed by the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM). The guidelines allow cannabis users to modify and reduce their risks for health harms associated with cannabis use based on science-based recommendations.

The following KT materials for the LRCUG have been updated and are currently available for public use:

  1. A revised ‘Public Brochure’ version (mainly for cannabis users; available in both English and French)
  2. A ‘By Youth for Youth’ version (mainly for young people; available in both English and French)
    Youth Resource Link
  3. LRCUG Poster (mainly for public health professionals; available in both English and French)
  4. LRCUG Postcard (mainly for public health professionals; bilingual document)
  5. A ‘Summary Brief’ version of the LRCUG (mainly for health professionals)
  6. Infographic of the LRCUG Recommendations (mainly for media/online purposes; available in both English and French).

With impending cannabis legalization in Canada, the LRCUG offer a potentially valuable population-level tool to reduce risk for adverse health outcomes from cannabis use among (especially young) users, based on the LRCUG’s 10 core recommendations.

The science-based recommendations of the LRCUG aimed at reducing health risks related to cannabis use include:

  • Cannabis use has health risks best avoided by abstaining
  • Delay taking up cannabis use until later in life
  • Identify and choose lower-risk cannabis products
  • Don’t use synthetic cannabinoids
  • Avoid smoking burned cannabis – choose safer ways of using
  • If you smoke cannabis, avoid harmful smoking practices
  • Limit and reduce how often you use cannabis
  • Don’t use and drive, or operate other machinery
  • Avoid cannabis use altogether if you are at risk for mental health problems or are pregnant
  • Avoid combining these risks

The recommendations are aimed mostly at non-medical cannabis use.  They have been endorsed by:

Canadian Centre on Substance Use & Addiction (CCSA)

Marijuana & Youth

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use & Addiction (CCSA) has engaged in extensive public consultation & research to determine how to address marijuana/cannabis use in youth.  In these efforts, CCSA has:

  • Conducted qualitative research, speaking with youth across the country to understand their views about marijuana. See the technical report, What Canadian Youth Think about Cannabis (2013) and ​Canadian Youth Perceptions on Cannabis (2017).
  • Developed a five​​-part marijuana research series, “Clearing the Smoke on Cannabis,” which includes a look at marijuana’s impact on cognitive functioning and mental health, respiratory functioning, pregnancy and driving. The series also reviews the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
  • Conducted a ​meta-analytic review of school-based prevention programs​ for marijuana use in an attempt to identify features that influenced program effectiveness.
  • Released The Effects of Cannabis Use during Adolescence​, the next installment of the Substance Abuse in Canada research series. This report gives parents​, teachers, healthcare providers and policy makers the opportunity to use the evidence in the report to develop and employ more effective youth drug use prevention and intervention programs.

Other key publications include:

Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis

In 2017, CCSA researchers determined that driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) costs an estimated $1 billion per year in Canada in the study “Estimating the Harms and Costs of Cannabis-Attributable Collisions in the Canadian Provinces.”  Cost was estimated by studying DUIC associated fatalities, injuries and damage to property in the Canadian provinces and territories in 2012. The highest costs are associated with fatalities, with young adults between the ages of 16–34 accounting for two-thirds of all DUIC fatalities.

Other key findings include: ​

  • In 2012, cannabis collisions in Canada resulted in an estimated 75 fatalities, 4,407 injuries and 7,794 victims of property damage only (PDO) collisions, with an estimated economic and social cost of approximately $1 billion.
  • The highest costs are associated with fatalities, accounting for more than 58% of the costs.
  • While less than fatalities, injury costs and costs related to PDO collisions are also substantial.
  • 16–34 year olds represent only 32% of the Canadian population, but 61% of the cannabis-attributable fatalities. This group also disproportionately represents 59% of the cannabis-attributable injuries and 68% of the people involved in cannabis-attributable PDO collisions. ​

This information has been summarized in the following publications:

  • Cost of Cannabis Collisions in Canadian Provinces in 2012 (infographic)
  • Collisions Attributable to Cannabis: Estimating the Harms & Costs in the Canadian Provinces (report at a glance)

Drug Free Kids Canada

Drug Free Kids Canada is a private sector, non-profit organization that creates and disseminates drug education and prevention messages with the help of their partners in advertising, research and media.

Working with Health Canada and the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, Drug Free Kids Canada developed a practical, easy-to-use guide for parents – “Cannabis Talk Kit: Know How to Talk with Your Teen” – that highlights the latest evidence on cannabis.

Other Resources

  • Legalizing & Strictly Regulating Cannabis: The Facts (Government of Canada, 2017) provides a rationale for the Federal decision to legalize/regulate cannabis. The proposed Cannabis Act would create a strict legal framework for controlling the production, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis across Canada.
  • Parent Action on Drugs has developed a print brochure (Parent Action Pack) and website to give parents current information about alcohol and other key drugs that are used by youth. It helps parents understand how youth think and behave and prepares them to have meaningful conversations with their teens.  The website is updated to provide new information from research and new approaches for parents to interact positively with their teens. The Parent Action Pack brochure is also available in French.
  • “The Downside of High” (44 min.) is a documentary hosted by David Suzuki and published by CBC as part of the series The Nature of Things in 2010. This documentary features the stories of three young people from British Columbia who experienced serious mental health issues as a result of cannabis use.  Interviews with researchers investigating the links between high THC cannabis and psychosis provide a scientific perspective on some of the little-known and little discussed risks of marijuana, particularly for teenagers.
  • “Your kid’s brain on pot: the real effect of marijuana on teens” is an article by Adriana Barton, published by the Globe & Mail newspaper on Oct. 16, 2014.  The article examines the effects of marijuana (cannabis) on the developing brains of teens, and finds there is no such thing as a harmless habit.