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. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D