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Although Canada has allowed cannabis use for more than a year, Quebec has taken steps to tighten its use. Since the beginning of the month, it is forbidden to smoke this drug in public places, be it street or green spaces. From January 1st, it will be necessary to be more 21 years old, and not 18 years as currently, to buy cannabis in the state stores.
The right-wing party that runs the Quebec government has never appreciated that the central government legalizes cannabis across Canada. The health minister says he is acting for the sake of young people, where the drug can have serious effects on the growing brain. Yet doctors' associations, public health and many social workers do not share his opinion.
►To listen too: Canada legalizes cannabis
Most experts argue that people under 30 are the most interested age group to smoke marijuana. And it seems illusory to believe that its ban in 18-21 years will dissuade them from rolling a joint.
Rather than sourcing from state-owned stores that provide clear information about product concentration and its potential effects, they will turn to the black market and the criminal network. A step back in the eyes of several experts who hoped that legalization would cut off the foot of the traffickers.
Traffickers continue business
What effect has this legalization had on Canada? Those who feared a social revolution or morals were at their expense. Nothing has really changed. Even the traffickers continue to do good business, since they broke prices a few months before this drug became legal.
The experiment conducted in several American states such as Colorado shows that it takes several years before the criminal stranglehold on this long-banned sector decreases. The legal trade needs to adjust and consumers change their habits to stop buying on the black market.
►To listen too: Cannabis legalization in Canada: what has changed in the last 4 months?
As for the development of the cannabis industry in Canada, the euphoria was only brief. Producers have literally flourished in the years leading up to legalization, and stock prices have sometimes almost vanished. Some investors have earned more than interesting profits, but it is clear that today this speculative bubble is deflating at high speed.
Several companies have been bought by bigger "players", and shareholders are becoming much more demanding about managing these huge, highly secure greenhouses. Many "players", however, rely on the marketing of edible cannabis products to boost growth.