Pubdate: Fri, 03 Jun 2016
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Page: 6
Copyright: 2016 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.ottawasun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Lee Berthiaume

FORMER MINISTER TO BE POT HEAD

Anne McLellan To Lead Marijuana Task Force

The Liberal government has tapped former cabinet minister Anne
McLellan to head a long-awaited task force that will examine the best
way to legalize marijuana, the Ottawa Citizen has learned.

The task force will be unveiled before Parliament breaks for the
summer, sources have confirmed, and report to Bill Blair, the former
Toronto police chief and current parliamentary secretary who is the
Trudeau government's point person on marijuana.

It will consult experts and others on a framework for the proposed
legislation, including how to regulate and tax the drug. The panel
will be asked to report back by the first week of November, sources
say, as the government hopes to table its legislation in the spring.

The decision to have McLellan lead the effort is being applauded,
given her unique experience in previous Liberal governments from 1993
to 2006. During that time, she served as minister of justice and
minister of health under Jean Chretien, before Paul Martin made her
Canada's first public safety minister.

Those three departments are now responsible for coming up with the
government's proposed scheme for legalizing marijuana.

"Anne McLellan is the only former minister who has held all three
portfolios that are relevant for this file," said one industry
representative. "It's a good source in terms of someone with an
understanding of all three departments."

But while she indicated a willingness to debate decriminalization or
legalization while serving as justice minister in 2001, she also
described marijuana as a "dangerous substance" in 2005.

"We know it is a more potent carcinogen than smoke tobacco," she said
in an interview in March 2005, as the federal Liberals considered
whether to make legalization official party policy. "That's what the
research tells us. That's irrefutable. That's science."

NDP justice critic Murray Rankin welcomed news that the task force is
being established, saying movement on the pot file is long overdue.
"My first reaction is that it's about time, and I'm glad there's
finally action on this," he said.

The Liberals promised during the election to legalize marijuana while
simultaneously making it harder for minors to obtain. As part of that,
it said a federal-provincial task force would consult experts on
public health, substance abuse and law enforcement to design a system
of "strict marijuana sales and distribution."  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D