The intent of this document is to present evidence-based facts to support the opinion that,
as a societal harm reduction strategy, cannabis-infused, adult format beverages should
be granted selling rights in all locations where alcohol is legally allowed to be sold in
Canada.
The National Alcohol Strategy of the Canadian Government to moderate alcohol use outlines the national need for alcohol use to be minimized. Cannabis-infused beverages can provide an alternative choice for Canadians that will offer stimulation similar to alcohol, but with far
fewer negative health and societal impacts.[iii] Every time a consumer chooses a beverage
infused with cannabis instead of alcohol, Canada’s societal costs and harms will be reduced.
In September 2018, the WHO released the Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2018
about the impacts of alcohol consumption around the globe.[iv]
This report follows a correlational study Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and
territories 1900-2016; a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016 released by medical journal The Lancet which describes the safe consumption levels of alcohol to minimize harmful impact.[v]
In June 2018 the Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse and the University of Victoria’s
Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research released a new report, Canadian Substance
Use Costs and Harms (2007-2014), covering many substances including alcohol, tobacco,
cannabis, opioids, depressants, and other substances.[vi]
These references and others will be used to frame the concept that while alcohol is a legal
and widely available substance, it causes greater harm to Canadian society from health,
criminal justice, and economic perspectives than any other substance due its wide use,
toxicity, and its specific effects on human physiology.
Cannabis, by comparison, offers medicinal, therapeutic, and social benefits, as well as
societal harm reduction options when offered as an alternative to alcohol, and offers
potential for significant reduction in public and human costs of substance abuse.