As quickly as the idea was expressed, it was shot down by his boss.
During a radio interview Thursday morning Lionel Carmant, the junior minister for Health, was discussing the Quebec government's plan to raise the age for the legal use of cannabis to 21.
The medical doctor said the negative effects of marijuana on the developing brains of youth and young adults are well known, which is why his government was taking action against the recently legalized substance.
When asked if the minimum age for drinking alcohol should also be increased, Carmant said he would like to see it increased, and said that was a discussion Quebecers should be willing to have.
Carmant pointed out that alcohol is responsible for hundreds of deaths and injuries each year in Quebec.
However hours later in the hallways of the National Assembly, Premier Francois Legault said that alcohol and marijuana were not really comparable.
"We invest thousands of dollars in anti-alcohol campaigns to explain the danger of abuse. Cannabis is a major change that we are making too quickly and I don't think we can really compare the two," said Legault.
