The Canadian Medical Association is calling for a minimum age of 21 to purchase even low-level potency marijuana. The CMA told a federal task force that young brains are still growing at 25 and “ideally” the minimum pot-smoking age should be 25. But it acknowledges that the pressure to make legislation workable probably requires a lower limit like 21. The doctors say they do not oppose marijuana legalization but strongly recommend a go-slow approach. It urges more money be spent on research, medical and social services for addictions treatment, a ban on home cultivation, a ban on smoking non-medical marijuana in public places and pilot projects before a full national rollout of legalized marijuana. The CMA notes that even now with the use of pot illegal use among youth aged 15 to 24 is double that of the general population. It says that 17 percent of teens using marijuana go on to become seriously addicted to it.
