Canada tests the lower age for the legalization of the pot
The most controversial thing about Canada 's adoption of national legalization of marijuana can set the minimum age of use 18 to 3 years less than In the United States which adopted the legalization - a movement watched closely across the continent.
The lawyers of the measure, who are expected to pass Parliament next year, say that the limit to 21 would encourage a black market and lead young people to be entrusted to criminals.
"Removing this business, I believe to be an obligation," said former Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice of Canada and Planning Officer Of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to legalize.
The working group that drafted the measure indicated that the experts stated that "the establishment of a too high minimum age risked preserving the illegal market, 39 and use the highest are in the age range of 18 to 24 years "
But health experts worry that the provision will encourage the use of a substance that can have long - term consequences on brains that still age.
"Our recommendation is always to postpone the oldest possible, ideally after the 25th," said Dr. Granger Avery, president of the Canadian Medical Association, who proposed setting the age of 21 only after It became clear that the government had wished it at 18 years
Legalization will inevitably lead to more young people smoking marijuana in the mistaken belief that it is not harmful, "said Christina Grant, a professor of pediatrics at McMaster University in Ontario. "One in seven young people who have used cannabis will develop cannabis addiction and affect your life, your education, your work prospects, your social and emotional relationships," she said.
Legislation introduced last month will make Canada the second country to have a legalization nationwide, after Uruguay, which also set the minimum age of 18 years. While eight US states and Washington DC have legalized marijuana, users must have at least 21.
Colorado State Representative Jonathan Singer, whose state became the first to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012, said it should also lower the age of 18 to eradicate Persistent black market.
"If you're old enough to go to war, then you should be old enough to trust using a recreational substance," Singer said.
American teenagers have long crossed the border in the province of Quebec, where the age of consumption is 18 years, and some say that a decline in the age of recreational marijuana in Canada could mean An influx of potted tourism among young Americans.
Young Canadians already have higher rates of cannabis use than their peers worldwide, with 21 per cent of those aged 15 to 19 reporting using cannabis and 30 per cent of those aged 20 to 24 Government figures.
The Canadian legislation would give each of the 10 provinces the power to establish the minimum age, at least Quebec, Alberta and Manitoba having the option of 18 years younger to match To the age of drinking. The drinking age is 19 years in other provinces. Anyone who sold or supplied pot to a person under the age of 18 years could be sentenced to prison for up to 14 years.
Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott said "no product is safe" and noted that tobacco and alcohol are legal although both pose serious health risks.
"Just because a product is legal, that does not mean it is advisable or recommended to use this product," Philpott said.
David Hammond, a professor at the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo, said the government will need to do more to educate young people about health risks. Anyone who argues for age restrictions of pot up to 25 should do the same for alcohol and tobacco, he said.
"It will be difficult to argue that legalization will not standardize it to some extent," he said. "You release the restrictions."
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The editor of the associated press Wilson Ring contributed to this report.
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