No legal weed for unvaccinated people in Québec (kind of)

Government officials in Québec plan to ban the sale of cannabis and alcohol to unvaccinated people in the province.

As the Omicron coronavirus variant rages across Canada, the Avenir Québec (CAQ) coalition government has once again taken controversial aggressive measures in hopes of containing the spread of the virus.

In addition to reintroducing the nightly curfew that kept Quebecers at home for almost five months after 8 p.m. (9:30 p.m. in some regions) last winter, CAQ Health Minister Christian Dubé announced last week that the vaccine passport system would be implemented Québec is now expanding to provincial cannabis and liquor stores.

The Minister of Health hopes this provision will give the unvaccinated an incentive to get their first dose.

As of January 18, residents will need a vaccination certificate to go into a cannabis retail store. However, residents can still order online and have products delivered to their homes.

Cannabis remains “indispensable”, but only for vaccinated people

“To the government, it seems that cannabis and alcohol are de facto changing their status,” explains Professor Jean-Sébastien Fallu at the Université de Montréal, an expert on psychosocial maladjustments and drug use disorders.

“When the government decided last year to make cannabis and alcohol indispensable goods, there was a large consensus among experts who agreed to this decision for various reasons.”

Hearing the update that requires vaccine passports to access cannabis or hard alcohol, Fallu says, “The decision doesn’t really make sense. My first reaction was to ask myself, isn’t that important? It is clear. And the vaccination certificate should only allow access to non-essential goods and services. “

“I’m not really sure if the people who haven’t been vaccinated will run for a vaccination because they don’t have access to cannabis or strong alcohol.”

Professor Jean-Sébastien Fallu, University of Montreal.

Fallu worries most about people who self-medicate with cannabis or alcohol. Those who are heavily addicted to alcohol can face potentially life-threatening detox symptoms, which means they have a physical need for alcohol. There are people who have an emotional need that has arisen from the ongoing COVID crisis.

“Many get by [with hardship by consuming] Medication, especially during a pandemic, ”said Fallu. Health Minister Dubé said he could make an exception for people with a doctor’s prescription for strong alcohol. Well, I’m not sure how easy it is to see a doctor and get an alcohol prescription! “

Is the Quebec government punishing the unvaccinated?

As for the goal of reducing the transmission of COVID in Québec, Fallu wonders how these specific vaccination regulations will help. He notes that shoppers in SQDC and SAQ stores are masked and aloof, and few will be in store for more than 10 minutes.

“The reason,” says Fallu, “is really to punish the non-vaccinated, to force them to vaccinate and to please the population – especially the CAQ voters.”

But how effective is coercion in getting vaccinators to give in and accept their vaccinations? Fallu doubts this new mandate will help bring down COVID numbers in the province, which are now so out of control the government lost the count.

“I’m not sure if the people who haven’t been vaccinated will get their vaccination because they don’t have access to cannabis or strong alcohol,” says Fallu. With a 90% vaccination rate in Québec, those who remain unvaccinated are likely to choose it or have a medical reason that precludes them.

“We know that coercion could work in a population where people could already consent [with vaccination], but you’re talking about people who don’t want to be vaccinated. The more we get into repression, the less effective it will be. “

Québec loves grass. The government? Not as much.

The situation is very different from compulsory vaccination – and Fallu fears the plan could backfire in such a way that it affects the most marginalized populations in Québec.

“[Among] People who are not currently vaccinated are overrepresented by the poor, marginalized and people with little education, ”explains Fallu.

“For me, this decision is a distraction from other important issues. It is good for Premier Legault that people are angry with the unvaccinated – for not addressing other important issues in the government’s handling of the pandemic. “

Finally, Fallu acknowledges the CAQ’s deep-seated hostility towards cannabis.

When the party took power in 2018, two weeks before state legalization, the CAQ made it clear that it opposed legalization.

The CAQ took office shortly before the legalization of Canada with a regulatory framework that, in its opinion, was designed to “deliberately combat the use of this drug”. [and] limit marijuana use as much as possible. “

Hence, Fallu suspects that the CAQ was pleased to restrict access to the SQDC – but at a cost.

Regarding the requirement of vaccinations for entering stores, Fallu says, “This could be part of a continuum of interventions – but relying solely on repression and coercion is not enough. They need many other strategies, including reconnaissance and damage control. “

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