Measuring cannabis use among young Canadians before and after legalization

by Grow Up Conference | Sep 27, 2023 | Media Partners, Stratcann

A new survey of cannabis users in Canada shows that legalization lowered usage rates among some and increased for others.

Despite concerns that cannabis legalization in Canada would cause an increase in cannabis use, a new study says rates of use among high-risk young adults showed an overall decrease in the first few years of legalization. Those who reported never using cannabis before legalization didn’t show significant increases after legalization. 

Many who reported high rates of cannabis use prior to legalization reported consuming less in the years after legalization. In contrast, some who initially reported using cannabis infrequently prior to legalization increased their use post-legalization. 

The new study from researchers in Canada and the US looked at rates of reported cannabis use among high-risk young adults in Ontario, Canada, aged 19.5 to 23 years.

More than 600 participants who satisfied specific criteria for substance use were surveyed every four months for the three years between February 2017 and February 2020, with three surveys conducted pre-legalization and after legalization. The data was analyzed from March to May 2023.

Of those surveyed, people who reported using cannabis frequently prior to cannabis being legalized showed significant reductions in use and consequences over time. The report notes that this likely reflects an “aging out pattern” for younger users who use cannabis less as they get older. It also highlights no significant negative outcomes regarding cannabis use or associated harms within the group connected to legalization.

While some use increased and some use decreased following legalization, “occasional use” was the most commonly reported category before legalization and “no use” was the most commonly reported category after legalization. 

The “occasional cannabis use” category showed the most change. Only 83 of the 207 who reported occasional use prior to legalization reported the same following legalization. Another 66 of those switched to reporting no use, while 47 increased to “regular use.”

Despite this relatively positive news, the study also cautions that some participants did exhibit notable increases in the frequency of cannabis use, and that the majority of those who reported frequent use of cannabis prior to legalization reported no decrease following legalization, noting that “the determinants of escalation and persistence of high-frequency cannabis use in young adults warrants further examination.”

The study also highlights that cannabis use pre-legalization in Canada was fairly normalized, meaning that legalization itself may have had little impact on public perception of any potential risks. 

More than half (346) of those surveyed identified as female, while 273 identified as male. The mean age was just over 21, with about half holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.

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Police in Quebec seize tens of thousands of plants, 2.5 tons dried cannabis in series of raids

by Grow Up Conference | Sep 27, 2023 | Media Partners, Stratcann

Sûreté du Québec’s Contraband Investigations Division has seized tens of thousands of cannabis plants and a large quantity of dried cannabis and cannabis products, as well as millions in cash in a series of raids this year.

Eight arrests were announced on September 27 in connection with the cases, with three other arrests expected. 

The seizures and arrests are the result of multiple searches that so far have yielded 56,650 cannabis plants, nearly 2.5 tonnes of bulk cannabis, ready for sale, 131 grams of hashish and 10 kg of edible cannabis products. 

Police also seized more than $275,000 in cash, production equipment with a value of more than $2.5 million, along with six properties as criminal property, valued at more than $2.5 million. 

Police say the investigation “sheds light” on what they call a structured cannabis production network that uses registration certificates “granted by Health Canada to give an appearance of legitimacy to their large-scale distribution and trafficking activities.” (translated). 

Sûreté du Québec operated through the province’s ACCES Cannabis program that targets both indoor and outdoor cannabis producers. 

On September 15, Sûreté du Québec, along with the RCMP, announced it had dismantled several outdoor production sites for illegal cannabis.  Arrests were also made in connection with these operations, and others were said to be expected.

These seizures are in addition to other seizures that began as early as June of this year. Local media accompanied at least one raid of an outdoor farm earlier this month. 

These seizures of plants will be added to the provisional results of the operations which began last June. During this season, thousands of illegal cannabis plants were seized throughout Quebec, tickets relating to the Cannabis Control Act were issued, and arrests were made under the Cannabis Act.

In an unrelated case, a sergeant with Sûreté du Québec is currently under investigation relating to alleged perjury in a case where the sergeant appears to have misled the court about efforts to verify an ACMPR authorization for cannabis for medical purposes.

Images via soreltracy.com

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Quebec police officer under investigation following alleged perjury in medical cannabis case

by Grow Up Conference | Sep 27, 2023 | Media Partners, Stratcann

A sergeant with the Sûreté du Québec is currently under criminal investigation related to alleged false statements she made while investigating a medical production licence. 

As covered recently in Le Journal de Montreal, Sergeant Dany Lafleur was found by a court in 2020 to have allegedly misled the court about her contacting Health Canada to determine the validity of a Health Canada document authorizing cannabis possession for medical purposes. She is now subject to a criminal investigation following a civil suit filed against her and her colleagues earlier this year by Christian Lanthier, who provided the Health Canada document.

Court records show that the document was presented to law enforcement by Lanthier during the execution of a search warrant at a residence in Repentigny, Quebec, related to a fraud investigation with an associate of the Hells Angels. 

While searching the residence, officers say they smelled cannabis and then later discovered cannabis inside a vehicle they were searching under the original warrant. Lanthier presented the document to officers, telling them he was authorized to possess up to 150 grams of cannabis based on a 30-gram-a-day allowance.

Ultimately, the document made its way to the officer responsible for evidence, Dany Lafleur, who, along with other police officers, say they suspected the document was not legitimate. Court records also document that police ultimately secured a second search warrant to search the residence for drugs prior to learning of the authorizing document.

Lafleur told the court she had called Health Canada’s helpline—one set up for these types of requests from law enforcement—but did not hear back. She argued that this led her to conclude the document was invalid. 

There are also conflicting statements from several officers regarding how the document was discovered and by whom.

The court initially ruled that the search was a valid one because the document was not valid. In a follow-up ruling in November 2020, the court found that Lafleur had likely misled the court about contacting Health Canada to determine the document’s validity. 

This was partly supported by a lack of evidence showing that the Sergeant had contacted Health Canada at the time she claims. 

This was also supported by looking at the helpdesk registry maintained by Health Canada, which was presented as evidence, along with call records from Lafleur’s personal and professional numbers. 

No evidence was found of a call made by Lafleur to Health Canada’s call line on the day of the search or to a number beginning with the same area code as the assistance line. Lafleur’s first call recorded in the Health Canada register was made a month after the search.

The court also found that the officers who determined the Health Canada authorization was false had limited drug investigation experience and were unaware of medical cannabis regulations or the document type they were provided. 

The court also disputed officers’ claims of how the document was discovered. 

Translated from the court ruling: “The Court must therefore conclude that these police officers were not candid and transparent when they participated in preparing the telewarrant request, and when they testified before the Court, on points directly affecting the legality of the authorization requested and executed. Furthermore, when it comes to the verification call to Health Canada on the day of the search, the Tribunal can only think that an attempt was made to mislead it.”

Lanthier filed his civil suit in June of this year, leading police to consult with the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) to determine whether there were grounds for an investigation into the actions of Lafleur.

The document in question was a Document for the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations, signed by Dr. Lawrence Fremont of Markham, Ontario, prescribing Lanthier the use of 30 grams of cannabis per day. According to Linkedin, Fremont operates a hair loss recovery centre.