Fewer incidents between youth and police after cannabis legalization in Canada

The legalization of cannabis in Canada has led to a decline in incidents involving the country’s youth and law enforcement, according to data released in early spring.

The results, published in April in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, show that the canadian cannabis law, which has been in effect for five years, «has been associated with a significant reduction in police-reported cannabis-related offenses, among both males and females,» among citizens aged 12 to 17.

After reviewing police data from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2021, researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto found a rate of 4.04 incidents per day among young women, representing a decrease of 62.1 %, and 12.42 daily offenses among young men, representing a 53 % reduction.

The cannabis law is officially took effect in Canada in October 2018, legalizing the recreational use of marijuana for adults aged 18 and older.

«The results suggest that the Cannabis Act has had a significant impact on reducing cannabis-related crimes among youth, supporting the law’s objectives of reducing cannabis-related criminalization among youth and the associated effects on the Canadian criminal justice system,» the researchers wrote in their conclusion.

The researchers added that there was «no evidence of an association between the legalization of cannabis and patterns of property or violent crime.».

In their report, the researchers wrote: «The Cannabis Act has been associated with sustained and substantial decreases ofapproximately 50 % to 60 % in national trends for police-reported cannabis-related criminal incidents among young men and young women over a period of about three years following legalization….. Given that encounters with the police and the Canadian criminal justice system for cannabis-related criminal incidents represent a significant social and individual burden for young people, it is reasonable to conclude that our findings demonstrate a benefit associated with the implementation of the Cannabis Act.»

The researchers stated that they had «previously reported that the Canadian Cannabis Act of 2018, which allows young people to possess up to 5 g of dried cannabis or the equivalent for personal use or sharing, was associated with a short-term reduction (76 days) after legalization in police-reported cannabis-related crimes among youth.»

The results are consistent with another recent study, also published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, which showed that the legalization of cannabis in Canada has not led to an increase in traffic accidents.

«Neither the CCA [Canadian Cannabis Act] nor the NCS [number of cannabis stores per capita] is associated with concomitant changes in outcomes (related to road safety). … During the first year of implementation of the CRUL [Recreational Cannabis Use Act] in Toronto, no significant changes were observed in accidents, the number of traffic victims, or KSI [all road users killed or seriously injured] ,» the study states.

Another study, conducted in 2021, yielded similar results, finding «no evidence that the implementation of the cannabis law was associated with significant changes in post-legalization in emergency department visits for traffic-related injuries among all drivers or, more specifically, in emergency department visits for traffic-related injuries among young drivers.».

«Given that Canada's cannabis law calls on the Canadian Parliament to examine the consequences of the Public Health Act by 2023 at the latest, »the findings of this study can provide empirical data not only for Canada’s assessment of the costs and benefits, but also for other international jurisdictions evaluating the pros and cons of cannabis legalization policies,” the study states.