Pubdate: Fri, 22 Jan 2016 Source: Nanaimo Daily News (CN BC) Copyright: 2016 Black Press, Inc. Contact: http://www.nanaimodailynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1608 ONCE MORE: OTTAWA HAS TO CLARIFY LAWS ON MARIJUANA With the prime minister and various ministers having gone from a caucus retreat in New Brunswick almost directly to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, we know they have some pressing issues to consider. Here at home a lot of cities across this great land are experiencing a pressing issue of their own that desperately needs federal attention. The current situation around the legality and enforcement of marijuana needs to be shuffled into the 'Action This Day' file, alongside the economy and assisted dying. The interim leader of the Opposition Conservatives, Rona Ambrose, demonstrated how confusing this issue has become. Ambrose on CKNW this week said that the Liberal governments must "take it slow" when moving on legalizing marijuana; but she then said that she wants the government to move quickly to regulate pot dispensaries. Some cities have created their own regulations for pot dispensaries and now a Nanaimo dispensary wants this city to go that route. Three pot shops remain in this city. Trees Dispensary maintains that it is a legal operation and will stay open. A spokesman for Trees, Alex Robb, says they have told the RCMP that "we believe our practices are defensible under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms." And here we come to the crux of the problem. The Nanaimo RCMP, while not commenting, seem to disagree. Detachment spokesman Const. Gary O'Brien says police are conducting "an ongoing investigation" in regard to the dispensaries. Are pot dispensaries guaranteed the right to operate as any other business in the city? Or are they breaking the law, which means the RCMP was right in its previous enforcement action and is right to continue investigating? Until the federal government clarifies the decriminalization or legality of marijuana, who can sell it and where - or says this is for municipalities to regulate - the city would be wise to wait to create a new bylaw or regulation. We have a situation where medicinal marijuana is legal, and firms like Tilray in Duke Point are following the letter of the law. But the interpretation of that law, which has seen marijuana storefronts open up in every city in the country, needs to be clarified for everbody's sake; for businesses like Tilray, the pot shops themselves, local governments, law enforcement and John Q. Public. Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said in November that the government is "proceeding in a concerted way" and she will have more to say in coming weeks and months. Wilson-Raybould needs to say something and soon, other than that they are "proceeding in a concerted way." She has to give some direction to cities like Nanaimo, dispensaries like Trees and police agencies. We can only repeat what we said in this space on Nov. 17: "It appears more had better be said on the issue in short order, before thousands of taxpayer dollars are spent on what may prove unnecessary enforcement, with pot seemingly in legal limbo. Does closing the dispensaries actually create more crime? If it's going to be legal, is a late-in-the-game, sweeping crackdown an effective use of resources?" The debate about the use of marijuana, medicinal and otherwise, has been swept to the side by this confusion over dispensaries. We need to refocus the debate and this can only happen once the federal government frames new legislation. Doing that must become a priority in Ottawa. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt