Pubdate: Fri, 06 Nov 2015
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2015 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wEtbT4yU
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Jen Gerson
Page: A9

SO, LIKE, IS POT LEGAL YET, MAN?

Legalizing Marijuana Is a Highly Visible, Oft-Repeated Promise 
Trudeau Simply Won't Get Away With Breaking

With the formalities of the swearing-in ceremony now behind us, the 
hazy question on the tip of millions of voters' tongues begins to 
form: "When will pot be legal?" And, "Is pot legal yet?"

Just about everybody remembers that he promised to legalize weed. 
Repeatedly. Articulately. Legalizing marijuana is one of those highly 
visible policy goals that will affect just about every Canadian, 
whether he's one of the many who smokes up on a regular basis, or the 
everybody else who knows somebody who does. This is a promise Trudeau 
won't get away with breaking.

And if his cabinet is any indication, he has no intention of doing so.

Several of his new cabinet ministers have advocated the Liberals' 
legalization policy, including Patty Hajdu, now minister for the 
status of women. Hajdu, who spent almost a decade in public health 
dealing with substance abuse, told the Canadian Press in December: 
Research shows that "the criminalization of young people ... for 
smoking marijuana creates far greater harm than the actual smoking of 
marijuana itself." She cited Trudeau's drug policies as a motivating 
factor for joining his team - and now his cabinet. Or take Trudeau's 
new health minister, Dr. Jane Philpott, who parroted the Liberals' 
stance on pot almost verbatim at a pre-election candidates forum.

And then there's Jody Wilson-Raybould, our new Justice Minister, who 
represents Vancouver-Granville - veritable hallowed ground for the 
country's grassroots grass movement. Wilson-Raybould hasn't been 
particularly open about her stance, but legalization advocacy group 
Sensible B.C. identified her as the Anybody-But-Harper candidate to 
back in her riding.

All in all, the organization's spokesperson was exceedingly 
optimistic about weed's legal outlook after Trudeau's cabinet was 
sworn in. "I think they have got to act quickly," said Dana Larsen. 
"It's going to take a while to get all this in place and they don't 
want to be in the middle of a transition in four years. When the next 
election comes, they will want to have one successful program in 
place and that's going to take some time."

That's because, like regulation of tobacco and alcohol, the nitty 
gritty details of Canada's new pot regime will likely fall to the 
provinces. Nobody yet knows what a legal weed system is going to look 
like here; penalties, age limits, taxes, dosages, distribution and 
regulatory regimes - even what level of government will manage the 
affair and reap the profits. The Liberals' platform remains 
unsurprisingly opaque on the topic, promising to "design a new system 
of strict marijuana sales and distribution," sans details.

Our country's take on alcohol sales, for example, has hardly been 
consistent. Alberta is a free-wheeling boozy free-for-all where 
adults can stumble into half-a -dozen liquor stores on any city block 
at 3 a.m. and get lost somewhere between the Australian and Chilean 
whites. Compare and contrast that to Ontario, where the reigning 
Liberal government has developed an unhealthy affection for the 
donations that continually slosh into party coffers via the Beer 
Store. By total coincidence, the province maintains laws that 
virtually ensure a Beer Store monopoly.

"Ultimately, we do worry about that kind of monopoly. We don't want 
to see the Beer Store model in Ontario become the Cannabis Store 
model for Canada," Larsen said. In fact, many pot advocates, assured 
of their first legal victory, are now turning their attention to the 
prospect of an inflexible State Bud "corporatist" regime - the fact 
that the federal Liberal party's volunteer Chief Financial Officer 
Chuck Rifici also happens to be the co-founder of Tweed Marijuana 
Inc., certainly doesn't allay any fears among the hemp happy 
Adbusters set. Tweed is one of a handful of companies licensed by 
Health Canada to provide medical marijuana. Its ambitions are, 
understandably, set on the recreational market. (Rifici stepped down 
as CEO of the company mid-campaign.)

"We talk a lot about the wine model. We want people to be able to 
grow their own at home if they choose," Larsen added. Yes, there will 
be big corporate players who will want to take advantage of an 
untapped legal market estimated to be worth $5 billion. But advocates 
also want low barriers to entry - a place for niche products and the 
bud equivalent of craft brewers.

Taxes are fine. But "they can't be punitive taxes. If that happens, 
the black market will continue."

Oh, and those gangsters legalization is supposed to shut down? Well, 
maybe. However, early returns in places like Colorado have raised 
concern that criminals moved out of the pot racket and into harder drugs.

The profit is, after all, not in the drugs themselves, but in the 
artificial value the government injects into them by virtue of prohibition.

Larsen, who also runs a medical marijuana dispensary, hopes that some 
of his "grey market" suppliers simply decide to go legitimate.

Personally, I support legalization, a position rooted in the belief 
that the criminal justice system is too blunt a tool to manage drug 
addiction. That said, the path ahead is not going to be easy, and the 
talking points that sounded so good on the campaign trail - that 
legalization will make drugs harder for kids to obtain, take drugs 
out of the hands of criminals, and prove a powerful revenue tool - 
should be treated with a touch of skepticism.

So, no kids. Pot is not legal yet, and it's unlikely to be so for at 
least a few years. And even when it is, it may not provide the high 
you were looking for.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom