Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This will be last amendment. I'll just speak to it, if I may.
As I pointed out, this amendment would add essentially edibles and concentrates to the legalized framework of cannabis with the passage of this bill on July 1, 2018, if in fact that's the date that it's proclaimed. It would allow the legalized selling and purchasing of solids containing cannabis, non-solids containing cannabis, cannabis solid concentrates, and cannabis non-solid concentrates. The reasoning has been covered, but I'll go over it one last time.
It will be impossible to displace the illicit market without legalizing edibles, concentrates, and non-smokable forms of cannabis, which represent about half the legal market in states that have legalized it, like Colorado. Now, I'm talking about not just edibles, but things like creams, tinctures, sublingual tablets, patches, nasal sprays. We heard about suppositories. There are many ways to ingest cannabis. I want to pause and say we heard a lot of evidence that people who are accessing cannabis do so not only for the THC, which is the psychoactive element, but also for the CBD, which increasing evidence is showing is very effective as an anti-inflammatory and as an anti-spasmodic. Particularly seniors who are non-smokers, who don't smoke cannabis, are much more comfortable going into a store and, under the guidance of people who understand the properties of the products they're selling, may want to brew tea or use a topical cream, which has no psychoactive effects at all. These are the kinds of products that Canadians and people in jurisdictions that have legalized it are increasingly seeking. In some cases there's more market share in those products than in smokable cannabis.
As I've said, from a health perspective, it makes no sense to me to legalize smokable cannabis, while continuing to prohibit edibles and other non-smokable forms. States that have legalized it, like Colorado, have developed solid regulatory frameworks that are mature, and have effectively mitigated the risks associated with edibles. Canada should use their regulatory frameworks as a model, otherwise the risks associated with edibles will go wholly unmitigated in the illicit market.
The task force on cannabis legalization and regulation's final report recommended provided regulatory oversight for cannabis edibles and concentrates for both public health and safety reasons. I think we would be wise to listen to their advice. I'm just going to quote the Honourable Anne McLellan. In answer to a question of whether we should include edibles in this legislation, she said:
If your question is more in line with whether edibles should be addressed in federal legislation, absolutely. Should edibles be provided to the market? Absolutely. The task force was very clear in relation to that.
She went on to say:
...it's a growth area in the cannabis marketplace. Obviously, if you're concerned about public health, you want to move people away from smoking product into enjoying their cannabis. If it's for medicinal purposes, there are therapies in non-smoking forms. As we've mentioned, and as mentioned in the task force report, the edible market is growing. It is varied. We also know there's a demand. If you want to move from the illicit market into a regulated legal market, then you have to offer the quality and choice that the illicit market can provide. It's fair to say that we heard that over and over again from a wide variety of people we talked to. There are public health reasons and public safety reasons why you would want to authorize or allow edibles in various forms. We have discovered that the forms in which they come are only limited by one's imagination.
I'm not going to belabour the point because I believe my Liberal colleagues have come to the same conclusions I have: if we really want to get out of the illicit market, if we really want to have safe, regulated products for Canadians to buy, then we will move to add edibles. The only point of departure right now is whether we do this with this legislation, which the NDP suggests, or if we wait some time, which, as the Liberal side has suggested, they believe is the better way to go. With respect, I'm going to suggest that we adopt this motion and put it in this bill.
This bill will only be passed on July 1, 2018. That's about 10 months from now. The regulations of edibles will be promulgated by regulation. There's a lot of time for the ministry to get those regulations in place in a proper way by July 1. Again, I don't think there's any compelling reason I've heard that would warrant waiting beyond that. I respect the Conservative position that they don't believe perhaps that the product should be legally available at all. I don't want to put words in their mouth. But if we're making the decision, as the Liberals and the New Democrats believe we should, to include edibles, then all the rationale and evidence points to doing that now and none of it points to waiting. There's only harm in waiting.
I want to conclude by making a couple of comments in respect to Mr. Van Kesteren's remarks.
The social impacts of cannabis use that he pointed out, which are real—impaired driving, perhaps the impact on employees under the influence of cannabis in the workplace—are legitimate. With great respect, however, we can't talk as if they are not happening now. They are happening now. The only issue is that what we've done up to now is criminalize that behaviour, and all the evidence I've heard is that criminalizing such behaviour doesn't do anything to address the problem. In fact, all it does is add the extra stigma and harms that come from criminalizing behaviour that is ultimately probably a health matter.
It's my view that legalizing cannabis is long overdue. I congratulate the government for coming forward with this legislation. It may not be perfect, but it's an important step. I want to thank my colleague Mr. Oliver for his kind words.
I want to point out that there is an upcoming referendum called the federal election 2019. If the Conservatives believe that criminalizing cannabis is the way to go, then I hope they campaign on recriminalizing cannabis, and we'll see whether the majority of Canadians agree with them.
