CHRIS LOWREY
PONTIAC Dec. 12, 2018
Pontiac Liberal MNA André Fortin used his role as public health critic to voice his opposition to the new CAQ government’s bill that will increase the minimum age for cannabis consumption from 18 to 21.
Under the government’s proposed law, the minimum legal age to buy, possess and consume cannabis will go from 18 to 21 and will also ban cannabis smoking in public.
Fortin made a speech in the legislature where he criticized the government for discarding the scientific evidence and forcing young people to purchase cannabis from the black market.
Fortin said that many public health experts in the province are calling the government’s decision “wrong headed.”
“It doesn’t reduce the negative impacts of cannabis,” Fortin said. “In fact, what it does is it ensures that consumers who are making the unfortunate choice to consume cannabis between the ages of 18 and 21 are driven to the underground market.”
He says that these young people will be forced to access a product that has an unknown THC content, that’s sold in a criminal fashion and will open up the possibility that street dealers will gain a foothold with younger consumers and be able to sell them other, harsher drugs.
Fortin pointed out that the public health minister, Lionel Carmant, remarked last week that he’d like to see a debate on increasing the minimum age to purchase and consume alcohol and tobacco. Hours after making the remarks, Carmant softened his stance on the issue.
“Part of their argument for raising the minimum age for cannabis is that until the age of 25, consumption of cannabis has an impact on the development of the brain,” Fortin said. “You could say the same about alcohol but you can’t say the same about tobacco – tobacco has a negative impact on your body whether you’re 15, 25, 35 or 65.”
Not only is Fortin concerned with the health impacts, he’s also concerned on a philosophical level what it means for those the government deems “adults.”
“It’s always been the case that Quebec has chosen 18-years old as the age at which you can purchase cigarettes, purchase alcohol, sign up for the army,” Fortin said. “Really, it’s been the age at which we’ve all agreed that you can make decisions for yourself, even though some of those decisions may lead to negative consequences.”
Fortin argued that this could be the first step on a slippery slope.
“If you talk about raising the age for the consumption of these products, the path that you’re going down is potentially raising the age to become an adult,” he said.
