Pubdate: Mon, 27 Mar 2017
Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)
Copyright: 2017 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.winnipegsun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.winnipegsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503
Author: Kevin King
Page: 3

'IT'S A MEDICINE'

Marijuana advocate says introduction of Bill 25 is a step backward for
Manitoba

The political component of the 4/20 event in Winnipeg often gets
overlooked in the haze of marijuana smoke.

Initially an act of civil disobedience, there just isn't as much to
counter in the cannabis culture's annual gathering these days.

The federal government is expected to table legislation this spring to
legalize and regulate recreational marijuana, medical marijuana
clinics are springing up around the city and are open about their
services, and a recent poll found that 59% of Manitobans support
legalization, the highest in the country.

This year's 4/20 event at the Manitoba Legislative grounds will again
have a number of vendors and sponsors, proudly displaying their names
in support.

In a number of ways, it could be viewed in the community as a victory
lap, a celebration that all those years of protesting have finally
broken through and greener pastures are ahead.

Except cannabis advocate Steven Stairs, one of the organizers of the
event, said they find themselves looking backward with the
introduction of Bill 25.

"Federal legislation is coming, yet in our own province, with this
bill, we're fighting the original fight of proving that medical
cannabis is helping people," Stairs, who is also a medical marijuana
user, said Sunday.

The Cannabis Harm Prevention Act was introduced by Justice Minister
Heather Stefanson on Monday. She said the bill is meant to serve as a
stop-gap measure while awaiting legalization.

It would amend the Highway Traffic Act to prohibit cannabis
consumption in motor vehicles on a highway and create a 24-hour
suspension for those caught driving under the influence, and also
prohibits smoking cannabis in enclosed public spaces.

Stairs said the bill presents a number of issues for those legally
using medical marijuana that perhaps could have been addressed had the
province consulted with that community.

Instead, the bill will be a focal point at the 4/20 event as it was
with a small protest at the Legislature on Saturday.

"They could have mitigated all the problems just by consulting us,"
Stairs said. "It's a medicine. Treat it like any other medicine."

Among the groups Stefanson has said she did consult with are Winnipeg
police and RCMP, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, CancerCare Manitoba,
and the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

In a letter of support read at Saturday's protest, NDP justice critic
Andrew Swan said Stefanson refused when asked in Legislature to meet
with the medical marijuana community. He encourages them to come
forward to tell their stories at committee meetings for the proposed
legislation in late April or early May to "improve this bill before it
becomes law."
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MAP posted-by: Matt