When Canada legalized recreational cannabis use on Oct. 17, 2018, there were concerns about the potential impacts. Would it trigger greater cannabis use, boost economic growth or otherwise affect the country’s health, safety and finances?
Patients already using cannabis legally for medical purposes were especially concerned. They worried that recreational legalization might prompt physicians to stop authorizing cannabis treatments. Or that cannabis producers would abandon the small medical market to pursue the larger recreational one.
After recreational legalization, the medical cannabis system did see declines. Between June 2018 and December 2022, the number of registered patients fell 32 per cent, while product sales fell 29 per cent. Some people thought the medical cannabis system had failed or become obsolete.
