Illegal marijuana dealers remain a danger to public safety six years after Parliament legalized cannabis, a Department of Health panel said yesterday. The statutory review of Bill C-45 An Act Respecting Cannabis said marijuana use among postsecondary students was also worrisome.

“The illicit cannabis market remains entrenched and too many illicit retailers continue to operate both online and physical stores,” an Expert Panel wrote in its Legislative Review Of The Cannabis Act. “We are concerned with the criminal activity that persists outside of the legal framework.”

“The illicit production and sale of cannabis poses dangers to public safety,” said Legislative Review. “For example, illicit cannabis sales support other activities of organized crime such as money laundering and possession of firearms.”