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As Canada moves towards the legalization of cannabis, the Cannabis Act itself remains void of any complementary social justice measures. Decades of criminalization for the possession, production, and sale of cannabis will remain unscathed under this ostensibly new approach, leaving intact laws that have disproportionately and prejudicially impacted Indigenous people and people of colour. This includes the overpolicing and criminalization of these communities, furthering criminal justice disparities, and the lack of meaningful initiatives to aid communities of colour and Indigenous communities in participating in the legal cannabis industry. Despite the continuing impacts, the Government of Canada has made no commitment to tandem initiatives that address the issues of reparation for those who have been most heavily targeted under cannabis prohibition. Public health implications are discussed.

Cannabis is now legal in Canada, yet important questions remain regarding how the provinces and territories are approaching cannabis education and messaging aimed at youth. Although widespread education and awareness campaigns are long considered cornerstones of substance use and related harm prevention, there is limited evidence to support the effectiveness of such campaigns. We continue to see examples of cannabis-related messaging that focus on risk and harm and often adopt a narrow view of the ways in which young people may use cannabis. This traditional risk-based messaging does not resonate with how many youth experience cannabis use. We have further observed that most provinces and territories have yet to fully reveal concrete details regarding what they are and have been planning in terms of youth engagement in the development and delivery of educational initiatives. As Canadian youth desire reliable, evidence-based educational material on cannabis, and can be credible key partners in the development of such materials, we hope that all levels of government will see the value of promoting balanced cannabis discussions and co-designing resources with youth.

BACKGROUND: As research on HIV vaccines continues to advance, studies exploring the feasibility of this intervention are necessary to inform uptake and dissemination strategies with key populations, including people who use drugs (PWUD). METHODS: We conducted 25 in-depth qualitative interviews examining HIV vaccine acceptability among PWUD in Vancouver, Canada. Participants were recruited from an ongoing prospective cohort of HIV-negative PWUD. Data were coded using NVivo, and analyzed thematically. RESULTS: Acceptability was framed by practical considerations such as cost and side effects, and was influenced by broader trust of government bodies and health care professionals. While an HIV vaccine was perceived as an important prevention tool, willingness to be vaccinated was low. Results suggest that future vaccine implementation must consider how to minimize the burden an HIV vaccine may place on PWUD. Centering the role of health care providers in information dissemination and delivery may assist with uptake. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest improvements in care and improved patient-provider relationships would increase the acceptability of a potential HIV vaccine among this population.