Pubdate: Tue, 08 Dec 2015 Source: Daily Courier, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2015 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers Contact: http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/531 Page: A8 LET B.C. LIQUOR STORES SELL POT Selling marijuana in liquor stores makes sense - the stores are in the business of selling a controlled substance that alters the mental state; they have the necessary expertise and infrastructure. The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union has partnered with the B.C. Private Liquor Store Association to push for the sale of recreational marijuana in public and private liquor stores - if and when the federal government legalizes the drug. It should be sold in a socially responsible way, "in an age-controlled environment with a proven track record of ID checks, and that's what we currently have within our liquor stores," says BCGEU president Stephanie Smith. The two groups are jumping the gun, but just a little. Marijuana is still illegal under Canada's Criminal Code, but that will change. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised during the throne speech on Friday to "legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana" in order to keep the drug away from children and the profits away from criminals. He promised during the election campaign that the government would decriminalize marijuana consumption and incidental possession, while creating stronger laws to punish those who sell to minors or drive stoned. Selling of marijuana would require a strict regulatory framework, and such a framework already exists with the sale of alcohol. Such an arrangement would fall in line with the thinking of many who have long advocated that marijuana be treated the same as alcohol. The marijuana issue in Canada is a mess. Supreme Court rulings have made it difficult, in some cases impossible, to prosecute those who use marijuana, even though possession and use of it for other than medical purposes is still a criminal offence. The resulting legal limbo has created a Wild West situation that only promises to become more confusing. Federal regulations will be welcome. Federally mandated research will be even more welcome. We know marijuana is not as portrayed in the 1936 propaganda film Reefer Madness: a drug that turns users into psychopaths. But neither is it a benign herb with no ill effects. Finding the truth that lies somewhere between those two extremes has been difficult, because marijuana has not been adequately studied scientifically. Many tout marijuana as a medicine, and evidence indicates the plant has considerable pharmaceutical potential, but it should undergo the rigorous testing of any drug. Decriminalization is long overdue, and putting it under the same sort of regulations that govern liquor seems appropriate. But taking it out of the Criminal Code is only one step. The federal government should open the doors to research that can bring to light more information, good and bad, about this drug. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom