The federal health minister says she’s satisfied with the opening of the recreational cannabis market across the country this fall.
Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe MP Ginette Petitpas Taylor believes there are enough licensed producers to handle some of the shortages.
She notes how the cannabis market will open further in 2019.
“Part of the rollout is going to be the edibles and that is going to be another chapter that we are working on now. That part of the legislation will become a reality in October.”
Petitpas Taylor is pleased by the continued work in cannabis public education and awareness campaigns.
While excessive packaging for products has been a complaint, she adds plain packaging regulations will not be loosened to help deter use among young people.
On other drug related issues, Petitpas-Taylor also admits Canada’s opioid crisis is a major file that often keeps her up at night.
She says the federal government is now finalizing bilateral agreements with the provinces for emergency ground level funding to treat opioid addictions.
“Over the past few years we have lost over 8000 Canadians as a result of the opioid crisis. These are not just numbers to me, these are real people. These are mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters.”
Petitpas Taylor says Ottawa has allowed municipalities to apply for exemptions to open overdose prevention sites with supervised consumption sites recognizing they can save lives.
Meantime, the health minister says changes are coming to Canada’s Food Guide in 2019.
She says the current food guide really doesn’t meet the needs of all Canadians.
“We recognize that we have a lot of Canadians who follow different types of diets and we certainly also recognize that we have a very multicultural country. So, we want to make sure that the Food Guide we have in place, meets the needs of all kinds of Canadians.”
Petitpas Taylor says expect to see the launch of Canada’s new Food Guide in January.
