Pubdate: Wed, 13 Jan 2016
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2016 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Daniel Leblanc
Page: A13

EXPECT STRICT CONTROL OF MARIJUANA, BLAIR ASSERTS

Government's Point Man on Legalizing Drug Says Social, Health 
Concerns Will Be ' Properly Managed'

Liberal MP Bill Blair wants to make it clear the growth and sale of 
legal marijuana in Canada will not be a free-for-all.

In an interview, the chief architect of the country's new marijuana 
regime frequently used such words as "control" and "strict 
regulation" as he discussed the federal government's options.

The former chief of the Toronto Police Service supports legalization, 
but mainly as a tool to restrict access for young people and to deal 
with the social and health problems caused by the drug.

Mr. Blair, who is Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice, 
is keeping his options open as he maps out the path to legal 
marijuana in Canada. However, he is not siding with the proponents of 
casual and widespread access to the drug for recreational purposes.

"There is a need for some control," he said. "Our intent is to 
legalize, regulate and restrict. There needs to be reasonable 
restrictions on making sure that we keep it away from kids, because I 
think that is very much in the public interest. We also have to 
ensure that the social and the health harms are properly managed and 
mitigated, and that can be done through regulation."

Illegal pot dispensaries are appearing in greater numbers across the 
country. In addition, some advocates of legalization say that the 
Trudeau government's promise to make pot legal means police should 
immediately stop charging people for possessing marijuana.

On the other hand, some people in the marijuana industry say only 
licensed and regulated operators should be able to grow and sell the 
drug. In particular, a number of investors in the medical marijuana 
business, which was heavily regulated by the Conservative government, 
want similar rules and restrictions for recreational pot.

Mr. Blair promised that a federal-provincial-territorial task force 
on the legalization of marijuana will study various models in Canada 
and around the world.

"The medical marijuana community has contributed quite significantly 
to the research and to some models that will be very useful in 
helping us ensure that if there is going to be a legalization and 
movement toward a strict regulatory regime, that it can be done in a 
way that is protective of people's health and all of the public 
health concerns," he said.

In particular, he insisted that pot users will need to know what they 
are smoking or ingesting under the new system.

"One of the things that we have to be concerned with is to ensure 
that it's not adulterated in any way; that we have some understanding 
of its quality and its potency, so that if it is to be used by an 
adult population, that it can be done safely and in a healthy way," 
Mr. Blair said.

He said the structure of the task force remains unclear, and refused 
to indicate when the government will be ready to change the Criminal 
Code to implement legalization. Mr. Blair acknowledged there are 
starkly different points of views on the issue, promising to hear 
from all sides.

"The best policy will be evidence-based, and we will gather that 
evidence," he said. "There are many people who have concerns, and I 
want to hear those concerns, and there are many people who have 
advice, and we will listen to them."
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