Thank you.
I want to address this age-limit issue again. We've certainly heard lots and lots of our health witnesses say that the age limit should be higher than 17. I think the CMA said it should be 21, and others have said that 25 is really the ideal age. What I heard is what we can do under federal acts and what can be done by the provinces and territories.
If we move the age limit for possession up, then someone charged with possession of five grams over the age of 17 would face full adult criminal charges. They would have a lasting record and would have to go through a much more significant criminal consequence, whereas if they're 17 or under, it would fall under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the records are sealed, and there's a chance for those records to be erased a number of years after the term is finished.
For me, it's really important that the provinces and territories understand that there is potentially a higher age that could be applied to restrict access to marijuana because of that developing brain and the impact on a developing brain. The provincial or territorial consequences aren't criminal. They can seize or they can fine and ticket, but it's not a criminal charge for people over the age of 17 at the provincial and territorial level.