Mr. Speaker, today marks an important day in the history of Canada and how we as a nation address the social and physiological issue of addiction.
Ninety-five years of cannabis prohibition has failed to achieve the ends it sets out to achieve. It has not curbed illegal markets, nor has it righted social wrongs. Prohibition does not ensure that communities are safe; rather, it opens them up to gangsters and bootleggers who are accountable to no one, who cut their products with toxins, and all too often it is accompanied by violence. Bootlegging is a problem that affects us all in the NWT. The consequences of illegally imported controlled substances circumventing local laws is an ever-challenging issue which requires vigilance on the part of all governments and law-abiding citizens.
I want to start off by commending the GNWT for their efforts to make available to the public a great deal of evidence-based resources. Household mailers, talking kits, fact sheets, newspaper ads, and webcasts hosted by health experts are just some of the measures which have been made available to the public. I am proud to see that this and other governments all over Canada are making joint efforts toward shaping conversations as opposed to pushing for convictions of minor offences.
Most impressively, I wish to note the audio recordings made on the topic of "Health Effects of Cannabis" have been published in nine official Indigenous languages, and English and French. It is of utmost importance that all peoples in the NWT are made aware, in their language of choice, of the effects, good and bad and otherwise, that come with the legalization of cannabis.
The aforementioned resources made available to teachers, caregivers, students, and clinicians are key to ensuring a healthy and prosperous future for all those who live in our territory. We as parents, caregivers, and elders have a duty to let these tough conversations play out with those we love and care for.
We all have a responsibility to ensure that Northerners know how to remain compliant with this new legal framework. To purchase, an individual must be 19 years of age, and no one can possess in public more than 30 grams of cannabis. Most importantly, the dangers to oneself and one's community when operating a vehicle while impaired by cannabis or alcohol must not be forgotten or understated.
Mr. Speaker, Northerners have come a long way since the 1920s, and today marks the beginning of the end of prohibition and the start of a bold new era where we can actually make a meaningful difference in the high rates of substance abuse in the Northwest Territories and across Canada. I am looking hopefully forward to a future where these rates will come down, where our communities will be safer, and our children will be protected. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.