Cannabis in Canada: From stigma to normalcy — the 5-year journey since legalization

It has officially been five years since recreational cannabis use was legalized in Canada, and according to experts, it has been quite the journey.

Zach Walsh, professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, says he thinks during this time, the industry has lost some of the stigmas that were previously attached to it and has become more normalized in society.

“This is how we should be dealing with cannabis. Regulating it like any other product, but certainly not stigmatizing it, making it illegal.” Walsh added.

Walsh says the substance has positive impacts for those struggling with chronic pain and sleeping issues, and can even help people out of opioid addiction.

“Using cannabis can make it less likely that they use opioids every day. It can make it less likely that they are going to start injecting illicit opioids if they’re not already, it can help them to stay on opioid replacement treatments that they’re trying to manage their opioid use and stay within the bounds.”

However, while cannabis may come with many positives, Walsh says it is not without its risks. But unlike harder drugs and alcohol, the risks are lower.

“We have our own cannabis system, the endocannabinoid system, and plant cannabis binds with those same receptors. So our body is actually more geared to accept cannabis as opposed to sort of the blanket effects of alcohol.”

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Cannabis has always been a controversial substance, but since legalization, Walsh says, most Canadians recognize that if they are a cannabis user, it has made a big difference in their life. And if they’re not, it probably hasn’t.

“People have been using cannabis for thousands of years and it seems like just a basic liberty issue that people should be able to grow a plant and use it as they see fit if it’s not hurting anyone else,” he added.

David Brown, co-founder of StratCann, a Cannabis news and events company, says since the legalization of marijuana, there hasn’t been an increase in safety concerns and risks have been well-mitigated by Health Canada.

“There’s a need to create some barriers to ensure that people aren’t overconsuming or ending up in the hospital or causing an accident on the road, or having a negative experience with cannabis,” he says.

Brown adds there are potency limits in place based on feedback from other jurisdictions such as in the United States, where negative consequences to not setting up solid restrictions were seen, he says.

“We aren’t seeing youth use rates going on, we haven’t really seen any evidence of an increase in accidents caused by cannabis impairment on the roads — that was also a big concern. I think that speaks to this care flow approach we’ve taken.”

The province of Manitoba says from the day of legalization to September this year, 3,292 weed-related provincial offences have gone to court. Those offences include consumption of the substance, possession of it around the car, supplying it to a minor, smoking it in public, and selling/possessing it without authorization.

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Additionally, it remains illegal for people to grow their own cannabis in the province, which Walsh says he does not agree with, arguing it should be legal for people to grow their own cannabis if they so choose, in order to mitigate the high cost of the substance.

“I think one of the real concerns I have is with access for some of the people who are in most need, because, I mean, if you can afford it, you can buy it. That’s great. But there’s no reason in the world why you shouldn’t be able to grow it yourself.”

According to Brown, there are now well over 100 cannabis retailers in Manitoba, the majority of them in Winnipeg.

“There are a lot of successful small and medium-sized businesses who are finding their footing and doing quite well in this space,” he said.

He says the plan is not to decriminalize cannabis but instead to put it in a system that regulates and treats it like any other product.