Pubdate: Mon, 16 May 2016
Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)
Page: 12
Copyright: 2016 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.winnipegsun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.winnipegsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503

TRUDEAU MUST EXPLAIN POT LAW

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to legalize marijuana in last
year's federal election and it's time he started answering questions
on when and how.

Having Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott announce at the United
Nations on April 20 -- or 4/20, otherwise known as Weed Day -- that
Canada will introduce a law next spring was politically cute, but
nothing more.

Back at home, the Liberals aren't dealing with an increasing number of
questions about legalization.

In Toronto, Mayor John Tory is rightly worried about the sudden
proliferation of unregulated marijuana dispensaries in anticipation of
legalization, which are popping up all over the city, some close to
schools.

The Canadian policing community has complained to Bill Blair --
Trudeau's point man on the marijuana legislation and a former Toronto
police chief -- that uncertainty over the government's intentions has
created confusion for front-line officers when it comes to
enforcement.

(Blair has told them until pot is legal they must enforce the
law.)

The Canadian Press reports Trudeau has been advised by the
government's own experts that legalizing marijuana will violate three
international treaties Canada has signed and involve complex
negotiations with the U.S. and Canada's provinces to implement.

Another internal report obtained by CP through the Access to
Information Act, warns that government legalization alone won't end
the black market in pot and that organized crime could infiltrate the
legalized pot-selling system.

We already know from real-world experience that if the government
imposes excessive taxes on legalized pot, it could create a thriving
black market in an otherwise legal product. This has long been the
case with cigarettes.

Trudeau has said the government wants to legalize pot to eliminate the
black market and keep it out of the hands of children by going after
drug dealers.

But how does that square with his government's aversion to mandatory
sentences for drug crimes?

What sentences is it proposing for dealers convicted of selling pot to
children in a legalized, pot-selling regime?

The Liberal platform pledged to "legalize, regulate, and restrict
access to marijuana". Voters rewarded the party with a majority. That
they have a mandate to do this is not in question.

The issue now is when and how it will be done and Canadians deserve
some answers.  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D