Pubdate: Thu, 30 Mar 2017 Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Copyright: 2017 Times Colonist Contact: http://www.timescolonist.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481 Author: Dan Parker Page: A11 LET ALCOHOL LAWS GUIDE MARIJUANA LEGISLATION Re: "Legal pot framework a long way off: Morneau," March 28. I don't understand why the federal government is having such a problem determining how to keep legalized marijuana out of the hands of children and criminals. Why is it even concerned about this matter? Isn't that up to the individual provinces in the same manner as their control of alcohol? The federal government sets and collects the excise tax on alcohol; that is what it should be doing with any other legal recreational drug. It also has the power to set the criminal offences for illegal production and setting the legal personal production in the same way it does with the production of alcohol. The provincial governments determine the laws for the control, distribution and licensing of retail establishments of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. That should provide the blueprint for handling marijuana, including the licensing of the product's source, quality, purity and strength, be it for medical and/or recreational use and in what states (e.g. liquid, solid as candy or baked goods, hashish or loose like tobacco) it may be sold. There is no reason the legalization of marijuana should take much longer, which would allow the police to handle more serious matters. Dan Parker Osoyoos - --- MAP posted-by: Matt