Pubdate: Wed, 29 Mar 2017
Source: Record, The (CN QU)
Copyright: 2017 The Sherbrooke Record
Contact:  http://www.sherbrookerecord.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3194
Author: Mike McDevitt
Page: 6

TAKING THE HIGH ROAD

A large number of Canadians let out a cough of relief this week as the
Trudeau government announced that it will finally reveal its
intentions with regard to legalization of the recreational use of
marijuana within the next few weeks that will come into effect on July
1, 2018 (Cannabis Day?).

Although final details of the plan have yet to be released, informed
sources are saying that the Bill will reflect the recommendations of a
Parliamentary committee headed by former Toronto Police Chief Bill
Blair and will allow (force?) provincial governments to set up the
kind of regimes they want in order to comply with the law.

According to the proposed Bill, the federal government will assume the
responsibility of assuring the quality of the substances available for
sale and to license producers. In turn, provinces will have the right
to decide how marijuana is distributed and sold and to set prices,
much as they now do now for the sale of alcohol.

Also similar to alcohol, the law will permit hobbyist
horticulturalists to grow up to four plants per household for personal
use and although Ottawa will set the federal legal age limit for
cannabis enjoyment at 18, provinces will have the right to set their
own limits as they see fit.

Provincial governments will now have slightly over a year to decide
how distribution will take place, although the Commission recommended
the creation of specialized shops. Other suggestions include using
current alcohol distribution networks (SAQ, LCBO etc.) or a similar
set-up.

The Bill represents the culmination of a long-standing debate within
Canadian society over the psychotropic weed that began in earnest
following recommendations by the Commission of Inquiry into the
Non-medical Use of Drugs (Le Dain Commission) which evaluated the
situation between 1969 and 1972. These recommendations were ignored by
the first Prime Minister Trudeau only to be fulfilled by the former's
younger, hipper son a mere 45 years later.

Although one might expect Canadian stoners to get up and dance (if
they can get up at all) and dance at the news, but it remains to be
seen just how badly government bureaucracy and corporate greed will
put a damper on their smoldering anticipation. Given that the
government's stated intention for the law is to assure the health and
safety of consumers, to prevent pot's availability to children, and to
undercut the financing of organized crime, the goal of making
recreational consumers happy is low on its list of priorities.
Nevertheless, the law does represent the acceptance by the general
population of marijuana legalization, although clearly, restrictions
will remain in place to ensure government control.

The news comes as a perceived mixed blessing to provincial governments
who stand to reap significant revenue from taxation and, depending on
how they choose to sell the stuff, profits from sales. But it also
transfers responsibility for enforcement onto provincial backs and
leaves the provinces to deal with any social or legal complications
that arise from the new regime.

Private producers will be federally licensed and stand to reap huge
profits from a well-established consumer base but provincial
governments will have to be careful with regards to pricing as they
will want to earn as much as possible from taxes without leaving the
door open to the also well-established illegal networks that have been
handling sales and distribution for the last half-century. When
inter-provincial competition is factored in, finding the appropriate
price for pot will be a delicate balancing act. Charge too much and
people will continue to rely on the existing sources. Charge too
little and cash-starved governments will lose out on a potential cash
cow.

Although most medical specialists agree that marijuana consumption is
less harmful to individuals than either alcohol or tobacco, there are
health concerns associated with its use. It can clearly have a
deleterious effect on users; lungs, decades of government inaction in
terms of research have left us sadly short of clinical information on
the benefits or harms associated with use of the drug, there are
studies that indicate some of the substance's compounds have been
shown to offer relief for many relatively common ailments, including
fibromyalgia and seizures. This has led to an almost global acceptance
of its legalization for medicinal purposes.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that pot is also much less likely to play
a role in violence and other social ills than is alcohol. An old story
illustrates this belief by saying that while a drunk driver is likely
to speed through a stop sign; a stoner will wait for it to turn green.
Jocularity aside, governments are concerned about the drug's effect on
driving ability and as yet, no 'legal limit' has been established nor
is current technology capable of determining at what point a driver is
impaired. In addition, marijuana traces can remain in the blood for
several months, making it difficult to be certain is a driver smoked
his last joint a month ago, or within the last five minutes.

Setting age limits will also pose a problem for provinces,
particularly in the face of recent medical evidence that cannabis can
interfere with brain development in the final stages of adolescence,
and may be a contributing factor in the triggering of schizophrenia,
leading some experts to recommend 25 as the preferred limit. Setting
the limit that high is likely to leave the door open to criminal
distribution and to border hopping between provinces if the latter
leave too large a gap between their provincial standards.

Canada has extensive experience in dealing with contraband but much
less so in making contraband legal, so it is to be hoped that the
government has learned from the experiences of American states like
Colorado and Oregon, which rook considerably less time than cautious
Canadians in following through with the project. Nevertheless, there
will be a relatively steep learning curve.

At the moment, Canadians have yet to learn how the legalization of pot
will be implemented in their jurisdiction and, if marijuana stock
prices are any indication, uncertainty still holds sway in the
business community as well. Meanwhile, snack stocks are reaching
unprecedented highs.
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MAP posted-by: Matt