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Has legalized marijuana changed anything for you?

It’s been a little more than a year since recreational cannabis was legalized in Canada.

It’s been a little more than a year since recreational cannabis was legalized in Canada.

Those who were expecting to see widespread cannabis use in this country, or for Canada to go down some moral sewer now that pot possession is legal, haven’t had their expectations fulfilled.

The national polls have shown that most Canadians haven’t used marijuana in the year since it was legalized, nor was there a big rush for people to get their hands on weed.

I haven’t tried it yet. Haven’t had the inkling to do so. I don’t know of many friends who have tried it in the past year, and I can’t think of many instances in which I’ve seen someone lighting up a joint. Maybe I need a different group of friends, or maybe I need to get out more often.

The encouraging sign is that we haven’t seen a big spike in the number of people caught driving while impaired by drugs. That was a big concern regarding marijuana legalization. There were also concerns over how we would detect impairment by drug, and whether those charges would hold up in court.

The lack of charges for impairment due to cannabis was even noted at the Estevan board of police commissioners meeting last month. And while we should expect to see the number of charges go up as time moves on and marijuana use becomes more normalized, it hasn’t been overly prevalent.

I’ve outlined the issues that we’ve seen with cannabis legalization, ranging from how it was bungled by the federal government, to the 3 1/2-month delay in the legalization date, to the way in which the feds offloaded so much responsibility to the provinces, to the challenges that have occurred with getting it to the customers.

For the most part, Saskatchewan has done a pretty good job with the process for marijuana retailers. People were justifiably upset with the lottery system used after some businesses scooped up several licences, while some notable companies were coincidentally shut out. And there were issues in getting the retailers open, although that was largely a reflection of a lack of supply rather than decisions by the provincial government.

But when you consider where Saskatchewan is versus say, Ontario, we’re in pretty good shape.

Now we’re starting to see the next phases in this legalization. Edibles are now legal, although they likely won’t be available until just before Christmas. Will pot brownies be a popular stocking stuffer this year?

The provincial government is also moving forward with its plans to expand the number of retailers. Communities that did not capitalize on the full number of permits available last year now have the chance to do so.

That’s particularly notable for Estevan, after city council’s decision to pursue just one cannabis permit for Estevan instead of the two that were allotted for this city. Council took heat from those who wanted two, and from those who thought this city shouldn’t have anything to do with legal marijuana.

Now Estevan can scoop up that second retailer, which will add another business and some jobs for the community.

The biggest announcement from the province is that next fall, all communities in the province will be able to seek a licensed retailer. That’s a big development; in essence, the government is saying that it will treat the sale of marijuana in a similar fashion to tobacco or alcohol. 

If a community such as Carlyle or Alida or Midale wants to have a licensed marijuana vendor, then they can have one. Of course, the retailer has to make it through the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority’s due diligence phase, but it means that people in small communities will have the same access as those who live in cities and larger towns.

You have alcohol and tobacco sales in small communities, so why not allow cannabis to be sold?

The black market is still a problem when it comes to marijuana sales in Saskatchewan and elsewhere in Canada, and it will likely remain an issue for some time. People are still turning to the unlicensed vendor instead of the person who is doing it legally, for reasons that could range from price to product preference.

The move towards having all communities able to apply for a licence will help remedy the problem somewhat, but it won’t be a cure.

Moving forward, uou’ll see more people charged for driving while impaired by drug, or consumption of cannabis in a vehicle, or other crimes related to cannabis use, but that should be expected.

There’s going to be that group that’s going to always be opposed to legalized marijuana, but it’s smaller than it was five years ago, and it’s going to be smaller five years from now.

Will cannabis use ever be as accepted by the general public as alcohol consumption? Probably not, no matter how long it is legal.

But at least the projections and predictions by the nay-sayers (and I would include myself in that group, at least when it comes to impaired driving by drug) have not come to fruition.