Pubdate: Mon, 27 Mar 2017
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2017 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Daniel Leblanc
Page: A6

OTTAWA RUSHING TO CRAFT MARIJUANA BILL AHEAD OF 4/20

The federal government has been scrambling to draft legislation to
legalize the recreational use of marijuana, hoping to have a bill in
place ahead of the symbolic date of April 20, sources said.

A senior federal official said preparing the legislation has exposed a
number of divisions on key issues between the Health, Justice and
Public Safety departments, requiring federal lawyers to work overtime
to find the appropriate legal language to express the government's
final intentions.

The government is hoping to legalize pot by July 1, 2018, CBC News
reported Sunday night.

The governing Liberals used last year's 4/20 celebrations - festivals
held annually across the country in which marijuana enthusiasts
publicly light up - to announce that they would table their
legislation this spring. The government is now hoping to table the
long-awaited bill in less than a month, ahead of that same date this
year, sources said.

This would entail introducing the legislation in the week of April 10,
as the House will be on break during the actual celebrations of April
20 the following week.

Another senior official said there are still "lots of moving parts" as
the government tackles complex issues such as whether to allow home
production of small amounts of marijuana and the best way to crack
down on drug-impaired drivers.

"The government has to decide how it will handle all sorts of things,"
the federal official said. "It's big and complicated."

A third federal official cautioned that the legal drafting and
cabinet-approval process could drag into early May. Still, the
official said the government wants to unveil the legislation as soon
as possible to ensure that the House of Commons has time to study the
bill before the summer break.

Liberal MP Bill Blair, who is parliamentary secretary to the Minister
of Justice and Ottawa's point man on the legalization file, has said
that the production and sale of marijuana will be tightly regulated.

The legislation will be inspired by a task force that was led by
former Liberal minister Anne McLellan, which proposed a complete
legalization model in a well-received report last year.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has already endorsed one of its key
recommendations, namely that marijuana should be legal for 18- or
19-year-olds, depending on each province's legal drinking age.

The task force also urged the government to allow Canadians to buy or
carry 30 grams of marijuana for personal use, and to grow up to four
plants at home. The task force also recommended a system that would
feature storefront sales and mail-order distribution, and allow a wide
range of producers to operate legally, including "craft" growers and
the current producers of medical marijuana.

Mr. Trudeau said last year that the Liberal government was in overall
agreement with the task force's 80 recommendations.

Even if the legislation was tabled in the coming weeks, it remains
unknown when marijuana will actually be legal for recreational users.
A senior federal official said last year that the time frame will
depend on the "readiness of the provinces," which will regulate
wholesale distribution and retailing. The official said aiming for
2018 would be ambitious, with 2019 being more likely.
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