For A strategic Analysis of Regulatory Cannabis Policies (ASTRACAN)

ASTRACAN is a collective research effort focused on public action for the regulation of cannabis in North America (2019-2023). This research focuses on analysing public policies and the practical difficulties of implementing regulations.

Grand format
Cannabis herbe (pots)

Framework 

Driven and co-ordinated by the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT) thanks to financing from Funds for combatting addictions in 2019, the ASTRACAN project (for A strategic Analysis of Regulatory Cannabis Policies) aims to compare cannabis regulatory policies for non-medical uses implemented in the United States (where, from 2023, almost half the States have opened a legal market for cannabis despite a federal prohibition) and in Canada (where reform has, on the other hand, been driven at federal level and then deployed in the 13 provinces and territories).

This research is being conducted in partnership with political scientists of the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and of the Université de Québec à Montréal. It concerns conditions for the implementation of these reforms and to difficulties encountered by public authorities in “regulating” cannabis. The research also focuses on the first observable effects in terms of public health, through 6 case studies, 3 in the United States (Washington State, Oregon, California) and 3 in Canada (British Columbia, Ontario, Québec).

Field studies targeted six north American jurisdictions which legalised recreational cannabis between 2012 and 2018, which include:

  • three “waves” of legalisation in the United States (Washington State in 2012, Oregon in 2014, California in 2016) and markets of different sizes (California being one of the largest markets of users in the world);
  • three of the most populated Canadian provinces, which have implemented fairly restrictive regulatory models (public-private system in British Columbia, private system in Ontario and a public system in Québec).

Literature review (2019-2020)

An initial reflection phase concentrated on an analysis of the methods of regulating cannabis in these jurisdictions and on the status of the scientific literature focusing on the initial effects of legislation for non-medical cannabis use.

Three reviews of scientific evidence have been produced on behalf of the OFDT on the experiences of cannabis legalisation for medical and non-medical use carried out in the United States and Canada:

  1. The legalization of cannabis in Canada. Case studies: British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec – Oct. 2020
  2. Review of scientific evidence on effects of medical and non-medical marijuana legalization on public health in the United States – Nov. 2020
  3. Marijuana Legalization in the United States: A Comparison of Non-Medical Marijuana Policies and Regulations across Ten U.S. States – Nov. 2020

Field studies (2020-2022)

A second phase of the research consisted in carrying out a series of interviews and direct observations in each jurisdiction, following a monographic approach. The interviews (at least 10 per jurisdiction) allowed for the gathering and comparing of points of view of the principal actors in the regulation of cannabis in each jurisdiction (regulatory organisations, public health administrations, researchers, experts, industry actors, etc.) concerning different aspects of the regulation of cannabis: conditions for implementation, difficulties encountered, short-term effects noted.

Results (2022-2023)

A third phase of the analysis and synthesis of results (2022-2023) gave rise to the publication of four monographic studies (three for Canada in April 2023 and one for the United States) and of a cross-sectional analysis published in November 2023 in the form of a double number of the OFDT review Tendances (No. 158 and 159).

The results of the field studies carried out in 2021 and 2022 are available in the form of synthesis monograph reports:

Comparative analysis of regulatory regimes implemented in 6 jurisdictions in the United States and in Canada: