Pubdate: Tue, 25 Oct 2016
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network
Contact:  http://www.calgaryherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Author: Trevor Howell
Page: A1

LEGAL WEED WILL REQUIRE CAREFUL REGULATION

The Canadian government' s push to legalize marijuana must be handled
very carefully and should be heavily regulated to avoid potential
pitfalls, Alberta's justice minister cautioned following a recent
fact-finding mission to pot-friendly Colorado.

"(Colorado's) experience didn't solve all of the problems that maybe
some proponents suggested that it might do," Kathleen Ganley said in
an interview Monday. "But it also didn't result in a whole bunch of
new criminal activity that some detractors might suggest. "The
important thing is around regulating it to ensure that everyone
remains safe."

Ganley's three-day trip involved several meetings with Denver
policy-makers, the state's attorney general, environment health
officials, as well as police and fire officials to identify the
challenges the Rocky Mountain state faced after legalizing cannabis in
2014. In April, the Liberal government announced it would table new
legislation next spring to legalize pot. It established a nine-member
task force to gather input from provincial and municipal governments,
indigenous people, health and addiction experts.

The panel is expected to present its report in November.

Meanwhile, provincial and municipal governments are anxiously bracing
for the impact legalization will have on a broad range of issues, from
land-use planning and business licensing to building code compliance
and setting legal age limits.

The Canadian Medical Association, which represents 83,000 physicians,
has recommended a nationwide ban on pot use for those under the age of
21 and restrictions on the quantity and potency for people under 25.

"Children and youth are especially at risk for marijuana-related
harms, given their brain is undergoing rapid, extensive development,"
the CMA wrote in its Aug. 29 submission to the Task Force on Marijuana
Legalization and Regulation.

"The use of high potency products, higher frequency of use and early
initiation are predictors of worse health outcomes."

The association also recommended restrictions on marketing and
packaging, products and potency, and expanding mental health and
substance abuse supports.

Existing minimum age limits on tobacco and alcohol vary province to
province, from 18 to 19. Colorado tied its minimum age limit to its
minimum drinking age limit of 21.

The minimum legal drinking age is 18 in Alberta. Imposing a higher age
limit on cannabis could be perceived by some as setting a double
standard, said Ganley.

"It would be challenging to a certain degree to set it at a different
age because we're saying, 'You're permitted to consume one substance
but not the other,' " she said. "On the other hand, there is some
evidence that brain development continues past that age and that brain
development may be affected by the ingestion of (marijuana)."

Alberta also expects Ottawa to share a portion of revenue generated
from marijuana sales to offset additional regulatory or enforcement
costs in areas that fall under provincial or municipal jurisdiction,
she added.

Washington and Colorado both exceeded early tax revenue forecasts,
taking in, respectively, $298 million and $206 million in the first
two fiscal years following legalization in those states.

"They do appear to be generating sufficient revenue to offset their
costs, which is good," said Ganley.

"But it isn't the cash cow that people think it might be because there
are some significant regulatory and enforcement costs that come along
with that."
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MAP posted-by: Matt