Health committee  If you'd permit, just very briefly. I think the question posed by Dr. Fry is quite relevant, actually. There are a number of truisms and policies that we live with in the alcohol world that never seem to translate into the cannabis world. One is the greater the availability, the greater the use, the greater the harm.

Health committee  Specifically, in terms of the proposal put forward by the Chiefs of Police, CCSA would agree with the fact that we don't need to criminalize simple possession. I think the issue of ticketing is interesting, in the sense that if we look at some of the successes around drinking and driving, what we saw at the time—and what has resulted in a change in behaviour—is the convergence of a few things: one, a clear regulatory regime; two, clear prevention messaging—don't drink and drive—; and three, societal attitudes.

Health committee  One is the type of program. There have been a variety of provincial programs in play across the country for many years, some of which have been very good. Some have been not so good. As a result, our organization, along with a number of partners, developed the national standards for youth drug prevention program so that if you're in Nanaimo or in Estevan and you want a prevention program in your school, the standards will guide you as to what is good evidence-based prevention.

Health committee  If I might, I will lead off the response. The one thing we'd say is on the alcohol side, we have seen some success if you look at drinking and driving patterns and behaviour there. There has been a significant change in how society responds and engages in that, and there's been a significant decrease.

Health committee  Certainly there has been anecdotal evidence of reports of that, yes.

Health committee  The cannabis itself obviously has a number of compounds, as has been alluded to earlier, THC being the psychoactive one. CBD is another compound found in cannabis that has a non-psychoactive effect. The question is, can people produce or sell cannabis with other adulterants in it?

Health committee  Again, I think if you were to do an examination of samples seized by police, that would probably be a better assessment as to what exactly is being presented across the country. Typically, for any person arrested with cannabis, it has to be determined that it is cannabis and that's the substance included.

Health committee  Again, this is rather speculative. In terms of what is hypothetical, of course you could add any substance you wish to any drug to make it more addictive or more psychoactive for the user.

Health committee  I think, if you're suggesting that there is a variety of strengths and contents to cannabis produced illegally, yes.

Health committee  Again, if we look at our two legal substances, in terms of prevalence of use alone, alcohol in particular, we would likely increase the use, and therefore, increase the harms that would relate to it.

Health committee  Back to my remarks, the first point is that no one issue is going to solve it. Second, there is, as Dr. Sabet has pointed out, a massive gap between knowledge, what we know as conclusive scientific evidence that is really unquestionable, and general public opinion. I think that's both among youth and among parents.

Health committee  Reduced access to marijuana? Certainly, I think better understanding and knowledge of cannabis and its effects on the person, both for the young people and for the parents, is important. Access is a different issue altogether, and how you reduce access to it is another question, I think.

Health committee  Good morning, Mr. Chair, and members of the committee. As indicated, my name is Michel Perron. I am the chief executive officer of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, CCSA. I'm also joined by Dr. Amy Porath-Waller, senior research and policy analyst. Her primary research focus is on the health effects of cannabis.

Health committee  I get the 30 seconds now, right?

Health committee  You made a lot of points there, Dr. Fry. First on the point of advertising, it is a recommendation, but perhaps a bit different from what you might have conceptualized. It's advertising to physicians; it's how in fact the drug companies are advertising and marketing to physicians.