A senior public health representative tells MPs studying the government's cannabis legalization legislation that the time for action on cannabis is now as the societal harms associated with the drug's use are already being felt every day in Canada.
"You have also heard calls that we are not ready for legalization. Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of time as Canadians are already consuming cannabis at record levels," Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association, told the House of Commons health committee on Wednesday.
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Culbert's message comes just one day after senior police representatives told the committee that they will not be ready to enforce new laws by next summer and are asking the government for more time. That echoes the message that several provinces have been delivering in recent months.
Earlier today, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the government was sticking to its timetable to legalize cannabis by July 1, 2018.
