Pubdate: Wed, 14 Dec 2016
Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)
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
Referenced: http://mapinc.org/url/spC7LQBu

LOCAL POT ADVOCATE APPLAUDS FEDERAL TASK FORCE REPORT

A federal task force report on legalized recreational marijuana marks
a "momentous" step toward the normalization of the drug, a local pot
advocate said Tuesday.

"I think the consensus is this is the day a lot of people, both from
the medical cannabis community and recreational users, never thought
they would live to see," said Steven Stairs, a medical marijuana user
and local "4/20" organizer.

The task force is recommending storefront and mail-order sales to
Canadians 18 years and older, with personal growing limits of four
plants per person.

"That's a win," Stairs said of the recommendation to open up marijuana
sales to those 18 or older, arguing the age restriction should be no
different than alcohol or tobacco. "It was unrealistic to assume they
would categorize (marijuana) in a different light."

The framework report, headed by former federal Liberal cabinet
minister Anne McLellan, says recreational marijuana should not be sold
in the same location as alcohol or tobacco, and that production should
be monitored with a "seed-to-sale tracking system" to prevent
diversions to the black market.

The study gives shape to a Liberal promise to legalize recreational
pot consumption and sales, with safeguards in place to restrict youth
access and choke off the illicit market that fuels criminal
enterprises.

The 106-page framework covers everything from advertising and branding
- - effectively banned, similar to tobacco - to penalties for illicit
production and trafficking, all legislated under a proposed new
Cannabis Control Act.

The report contains more than 80 recommendations.

"Our advice includes safeguards that we believe are important to
attain the objectives set out by the government to better protect the
health and safety of Canadians by regulating access to cannabis,"
McLellan told a news conference.

On the issue of potimpaired driving, the task force recommends more
study to determine the links between THC levels and traffic crashes
while simultaneously developing a national education strategy to
stress that cannabis consumption causes impairment.

It recommends that higher-potency pot be taxed at a higher rate than
weaker strains, while limiting personal possession to no more than 30
grams and allowing for what the report calls "social sharing."

Potency tax rejected

Stairs rejected a call for a potency tax, saying it would only open
the door to black market sellers.

"It's all about personal options," he said. "I have an option when I
go to the liquor store of buying a lite beer or an 18% rum. They don't
tax my bottle of whiskey more than they tax my beer. When I go into
the liquor store, they aren't trying to discourage me from buying hard
alcohol."

Manitoba Justice Minister Heather Stefanson offered cautious comments
on the report, telling reporters Tuesday "further clarity" is needed,
particularly in how legalization of marijuana would impact youth and
the dangers of pot impaired driving.

"The next stage of this is going to be the federal government coming
forward and indicating to us what the next steps are," Stefanson said.
"We need to make sure all the checks and balances are in place before
moving forward."

If legalized, it's expected marijuana would raise billions of dollars
in tax revenue every year.

"At this stage, I'm more concerned about getting this right than I am
about how much money this is going to bring in down the line,"
Stefanson said.
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MAP posted-by: Matt