Before we know it, July 2018 will be here and along with it will come the legalization of marijuana.
Everyone has an opinion on the whys and hows of legalization. Some even wonder why it is being legalized at all.
Most signs point to legalization being a good thing. With legalization will come less stigma, more research, more training for police, and another revenue stream for the government.
The point that people need to realize is that legalization does not mean an increase in use.
That said, there will also be challenges with legalization on the horizon.
While the federal government says safety is the main reason to go forward with legalization, revenue from sales is still going to come into the millions of dollars.
We can look to the US and find some positive outcomes from marijuana sales in states where marijuana has been legalized.
Colorado is seeing marijuana taxes, licence and fee revenue reach more than $200 million a year. That number has increased every year since 2014.
It was reported in an February 2017 News Tribune article that the state of Washington will receive $700 million in tax revenue over the next two years.
But what will happen with illicit sales of drugs?
In a October 2016 Globe and Mail article, Daniel Bear wrote that three things will reduce illicit drug sales; taxation, pricing and ease of access to cannabis for adults.
From the article: “The [Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation] has recommended that the government specifically consider how any taxation of cannabis will impact the goal of reducing the illicit market. Tax and regulate production or sales too much and the retail prices will be too high to compete with illicit dealers.”
Government officials in Canada do say they have the appropriate sales number to get people buying from a government source instead of the black market. At $10/gram taxes included, the government feels they are setting a competitive price.
It is a balancing act with the Canadian Government needing to keep up with government program spending while also making marijuana prices cheaper for people to get their marijuana through a government source.
If sales in the United States is any indication, Canada should have no trouble with pricing and reaping the benefits of marijuana sales.
Over the next five years the federal government plans to invest $46 million in public education, awareness and surveillance.
According to representatives from the provinces, provincial governments will be spending a lot more when it comes to provincial programs in response to legalization.
At a recent talk with a Saskatchewan Party leadership candidate, they pointed out that the provinces will be responsible for many sectors that will be impacted from legalization, like policing, health, and education, so that should play a big role in the decision of how much the provinces will receive from marijuana taxation revenue.
Revenue aside, the legalization of marijuana brings with it other factors that will have to be addressed, however are the impacts really going to be that big?
Setting an age limit on access to marijuana is important but young people having access to marijuana is nothing new either.
According to the Saskatchewan Alliance for Youth and Community Well-Being (SAYCW) Student health survey from 2016, speaking with students from grades 7-12, “about one in five students (21%) had ever tried cigarettes and 12% had smoked cigarettes in the past month,” and “32% of students used alcohol at least once in the previous month and 21% had participated in heavy drinking.”
Both of which are highly regulated, but that does not stop kids and teens from either trying them or picking up a habit.
The statistics for drug use, even before marijuana legalization, are about the same with 1 in 5 students trying drugs, and “61% had used at least one drug at least once in the past month.”
When it comes to the full impacts of legalization, there are three possible outcomes: will marijuana lose its lustre as soon as legalization kicks in; will legalization not have an impact at all; or will things get worse?
At this point, for some of these things, there will be a lot of wait and see but when it comes to the benefits from legalization, those are far outweighing the harm at this point.
