ID: 238

Type of submission: Oral

Conference track: Policy

Topics: Children, Young People and Drug Use; Drug Policy Reform and Advocacy

Presenting author: Jenna Valleriani

Presenting author biography:

Jenna Valleriani is a PhD Candidate in Sociology at the University of Toronto and the Strategic Advisor for Canadian Students for Sensible Policy. Jenna has worked with CSSDP for over 5 years, previously serving on the Board of Directors as Vice-Chair. Jenna's dissertation focuses on il/legal cannabis markets in Canada.

Input from "Youth Speak: Cannabis Policy in the 21st Century"

Jenna Valleriani, Dessy Pavlova

Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP), with support from the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy (ICSDP) and Lift, held a youth roundtable to collect input on the “Toward the Legalization, Regulation and Restriction of Access to Marijuana - Discussion Paper” and on key issues relevant to young people when it comes to the legalization of cannabis in Canada. Titled, “Youth Speak: Cannabis Policy in the 21st Century,” the roundtable was held in downtown Toronto and was attended by 21 diverse youth and young adults ranging from 18-29 years old. Input from the event offers a variety of different perspectives from youth and young adults.The format of the roundtable involved a participatory workshop structured around four topics, including 1) Age Restrictions; 2) Criminalization of Youth; 3) Prevention and Education; and 4) Production, Distribution, and Access Restrictions. These topics were selected by organizers from CSSDP and the ICSDP given their relevance to youth and young adults, as well as their applicability to topics covered in the Discussion Paper.

CSSDP produced ten main recommendations which were also presented to Canada's Task Force, and we would like to present these at HR17, including recommendations around age, the criminalization of youth, cannabis education and harm reduction, the medical cannabis system, as well as distribution and production of cannabis under a legal regime.