Canadian Government Names Members to Cannabis Act Review Panel

The Canadian government announced in September that it has launched a review of its adult-use cannabis legalization law, the Cannabis Act, which took effect in 2018.

Now, government officials have named the members of the panel charged with conducting the review, which was mandated by the Cannabis Act.

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The five-member Expert Panel includes:

• Morris Rosenberg, chair of the Expert Panel who previously served in several departments within the Canadian government, including the Department of Justice and the Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs
• Dr. Oyedeji Ayonrinde, associate professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at Queen’s University
• Dr. Patricia Conrod, a registered clinical psychologist, full professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Addiction at the University of Montreal, and researcher at the Sainte-Justine Mother and Child University Hospital Centre (CHUSJ)
• Lynda Levesque, a criminal lawyer and member of the Fisher River Cree Nation in Manitoba, Treaty Five territory
• Dr. Peter Selby, the Giblon Professor, Vice Chair of Research, and Head of the Mental Health and Addictions Division in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto

As mandated by the Cannabis Act, the review will assess the legislation and its administration and operation, including the law’s impact on the illicit market, indigenous communities and the economy.

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The Expert Panel will ultimately advise Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health Carolyn Bennett on the progress made toward achieving the objectives of the Cannabis Act—which include protecting the health and safety of Canadians and establishing a diverse and competitive legal industry to displace the illicit market—as well as identify areas of improvement.