In the days, weeks and months since Canada became the first nation in the G7 to legalize recreational cannabis, life has continued along much like it did before, said Sundre’s mayor.
“October 17 passed and my life didn’t change,” Terry Leslie said during an interview before the new year.
Kids going to school — including his grandchildren — did not seem to notice anything different either, said Leslie.
The substantial societal shift seems to have largely “occurred with respect,” he said.
Municipalities throughout the country — including Sundre — spent a lot of time developing measured responses to move forward with reasonable legislation that recognized existing concerns while respecting people’s rights to the new-found freedom, he said.
“I welcome it,” the mayor said, adding he grew up in the ’70s and at one point lived in a university residence.
“I get the societal issues that have been dogging us for a couple of generations.”
When he was 17, the legal drinking age was lowered to 18 from 21, and he likens recreational cannabis legalization as a similar shift, with an older generation deciding to introduce new rights and the upcoming generation facing the decision to take part responsibly or irresponsibly, he said.
But the mayor does harbour some concerns, especially in terms of the impact on Canadians travelling to the U.S. who have invested in the new industry, as well as potentially unpredictable health effects, he said.
“We will go through a tumultuous time with some of our neighbours,” not just south of the border but also in Europe, he said, adding societies around the world will “try to wrestle with the impacts of the decision made by the Canadian government.”
Nations such as Portugal, Holland and Uruguay have long since had more liberal laws around cannabis, without experiencing increased crime or health problems.
“It’s been an interesting exercise,” said Leslie.
The mayor expressed profound pride for his country’s decision to move “ahead with a decision that decriminalizes, finally, something that was misunderstood and misrepresented. Personally, I’m happy to see there is no longer a criminalized part.”
