Pubdate: Tue, 29 Aug 2017
Source: Metro (Winnipeg, CN MB)
Copyright: 2017 Free Daily News Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.metronews.ca/winnipeg
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5322
Author: Braeden Jones
Page: 3

TOWN HALL TO BRING CLARITY ON LEGAL POT

A town hall in St. James Tuesday night will try to clear the air for
any Winnipeggers with questions about cannabis legalization in advance
of a legislation review this fall.

Hosted by Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley MP Doug
Eyolfson, the event will feature an in-depth review of Bill C-45-which
would amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, Criminal Code and
other acts-expert testimony from witnesses at the federal health committee.

Eyolfson said he's hosting the town hall to discuss the legislation
and its objectives, but also to hear his constituent's thoughts.

"I know how important their feedback and engagement is to me and my
colleagues as we review the legislation this fall," he said in a
written statement. "Working on something this consequential is a
privilege and we have the responsibility to make sure we get this right.

"That can only be done by reaching out to members of the community, so
their voices can be heard in Ottawa."

Local cannabis advocate Steven Stairs has been engaged in many of the
early discussions to do with legalization at the provincial level, but
he's excited to have the federal perspective in town, offering
Winnipeggers access to "people in the know."

"(It's) a setting where there's an opportunity to have somebody who
might have a credible answer for you... it's not just speculation
about what might be coming down in the future," Stairs said.

He hopes people who don't know how to feel about cannabis legalization
will attend to gain a better understanding, since "this is the norm of
social behaviours Canadians are moving towards" he said.

John Arbuthnot, president of Manitoba's licensed medical marijuana
producer, Delta-9 Bio-Tech, is similarly excited for the town hall. He
said it's a chance not only to help dispel myths and rumours, but also
to learn.

"Obviously we're a health Canada licensed producer, distributor, so we
bring our years of experience in the regulated cannabis production
side," he said. "But we're also there to listen-as an active
participant in the sector, and (soon) in the recreational sector as
well, we want to hear again what people in the community are wanting
to see."

Arbuthnot and anyone else interested can do just that at 6:30 p.m.
until 8 p.m. at the St James Civic Centre.
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MAP posted-by: Matt