Emerging Issues Bulletin: Issue # 7

Bruce A. MacFarlane, Robert J. Frater, Croft Michaelson

The Emerging Issues Bulletin in Drug Offences in Canada, 4th edition is intended to provide updates on notable drug policy, legislative and enforcement issues. These are issues that may have started to be addressed in case law in trial courts, or reflected in legislation just passed or being contemplated, or concerning new enforcement techniques by the police. By focusing on percolating issues, it is hoped that the section may alert practitioners to emerging legal challenges.

A sample from the most recent Bulletin is excerpted here. To continue reading from Drug Offences in Canada, 4th edition, sign up at the bottom of the screen for a free 14-day trial of CriminalSource on westlaw Canada.

Cannabis Legalization and the Opioid Crisis

In the past two years, two themes have dominated public discussion of controlled substances in North America: the movement to legalize cannabis, and the opioid crisis. In November, 2017, a new study was published that made tentative findings linking the two in a surprising way. The article, “Recreational Cannabis Legalization and Opioid-Related Deaths in Colorado, 2000-2015” was published in the American Journal of Public Health. The authors found that for two straight years following cannabis legalization in Colorado, opioid-related deaths actually declined. The authors are careful to suggest that findings of any relationship are necessarily tentative, and other jurisdictions should be studied to see if the relationship holds.