Legalizing marijuana: Health Canada flags 9 factors for Liberals to consider

A November 2015 ministerial briefing presentation, "Legalizing & Regulating Marijuana," was released to The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act. Some conclusions and recommendations were withheld from release, but the document offers insight into how the new government will navigate the issue. A look at the nine areas cited by Health Canada:

Canadian marijuana usage rates -- 11 per cent of the population age 15 and older used marijuana in the past year, according to a 2013 survey. Use was highest among 20-24 year-olds at 26 per cent. The presentation characterizes this as "relatively low overall rates of usage" and points to evidence that use declines with age.

Evidence of health benefits and risks -- There is some evidence of limited therapeutic benefit to marijuana use for managing symptoms of chemotherapy, neuropathic pain and treatment-resistant epilepsy in children. But the health-community consensus is that regular recreational usage carries risks, including...

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