Cannabis performance metrics for policy consideration : what do we need to measure? / by Anton Maslov, Austin Lawrence and Matthew Ferguson.: PS113-1/2016-9E-PDF

"Cannabis and its byproducts are the most widely used illegal narcotic substances in the world. Canada has one of the highest prevalence rates of cannabis use in the world; over forty per cent of Canadians have used cannabis as a drug during their lifetimes, and between 10.2% and 12.2% per cent used it in 2010. Its production and consumption is illegal under the Criminal Code of Canada as of February 2016, with the exception of some medical use. However, the federal government has indicated its intent to legalize the use of cannabis for non-medical purposes. When there is discussion regarding whether or not cannabis policy regimes are having their intended effect, or changes in cannabis regimes are being considered, it is important to empirically measure such changes and effects through performance metrics. Performance metrics are instances where the impact of cannabis on various aspects of society is measured using empirical data. This paper highlights the importance of collecting empirical evidence on 45 such metrics when it comes to evaluating possible changes to cannabis policy regimes in Canada. Of the 45 types of metrics identified in this paper, Canada currently collects data to calculate about seven, some partial information on a further 17, and little to no data on the remaining 21 metrics. The meaning, objective, and, where possible, operationalization of each metric is discussed in detail“--Abstract, p. 1.

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