Pubdate: Fri, 21 Apr 2017
Source: Record, The (Kitchener, CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 Metroland Media Group Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.therecord.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/225
Author: Kristy Kirkup
Page: A5

OPPOSITION DEMANDS COST OF CANNABIS TRACKING SYSTEM

OTTAWA - The federal government is coming under fire from the
opposition Conservatives for failing to disclose how much a cannabis
tracking system will cost - just one of a host of proposed changes to
be ushered in along with the legalization of marijuana.

Health Canada said the system would be designed to collect information
about pot products from licensed producers, distributors and
retailers, adding it would not track individual cannabis users.

The department also said it would allow businesses and regulators to
trace all products and address recalls.

"They want to put a pot registry in, but they are not telling us about
how much it is going to cost," said Conservative health critic Colin
Carrie. "It is just basically more shady behaviour when it comes to
this file."

The tracking would help to ensure cannabis is not being diverted to
illegal markets, Health Canada said in a statement, given the
government's stated and oft-repeated goal of limiting organized
crime's footprint in the pot trade.

"Mandatory product track-and-trace systems are common features in
other jurisdictions that have legalized cannabis for non-medical
purposes," the department said.

The specific requirements of the system still need to be developed,
Health Canada added, noting similar systems are used in the U.S. to
gather information about cannabis products.

The department did not say how much the proposed tracking system would
cost - only that it intends to offset such costs through licensing and
other fees.

The government's marijuana legislation tabled last week also failed to
offer specifics on tax measures for the legalized regime.

Alistair MacGregor, the NDP's justice critic, said he is surprised the
government can't offer more information.

"On the day this bill was announced, they did bring out the minister
of national revenue," MacGregor said. "One of the biggest questions we
have is the cost of implementing not just this registry but all of the
enforcement measures; How much of this is going to be downloaded on to
the provinces?"

On Thursday, thousands across the country are marking are annual pot
celebrations known as 4-20 though some marijuana activists are
expressing concern about the government's legalization efforts.

The federal government has said repeatedly it has no plans to
decriminalize marijuana until legalization is in place - a goal it
hopes to achieve by July 2018.

Trudeau, who admitted to smoking pot after becoming an MP, told
Bloomberg on Thursday that Canada's legalization strategy is built
around a recognition that marijuana is "not good" for the developing
brains of young people.

"We need to do a better job of making it more difficult, at least as
difficult as it is to access alcohol, as it can be," he said.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt