Le Dain Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs

The recommendations of Gerald Le Dain, Heinz Lehmann and J. Peter Stein included legalization of the simple possession of cannabis and cultivation for personal use.

The report also recommended that the federal government conduct further research to monitor and evaluate changes in the extent and patterns of the use of cannabis and other drugs, and to explore possible consequences to health, and personal and social behaviour, resulting from the controlled legal distribution of cannabis.

[3] Although the report was widely praised for its thoroughness and thoughtfulness, its conclusions were largely ignored by the Trudeau federal government.

[5] Until legislation was enacted, marijuana remained illegal (except with a physician's prescription for medical purposes).

[6] On June 20, 2018, the federal government announced that possession of marijuana (cannabis) would no longer be illegal in Canada effective October 17, 2018, almost 50 years since the establishment of the Le Dain Commission [7]