Pubdate: Tue, 12 Sep 2017
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.ottawacitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Mohammed Adam
Page: 7

PROVINCE GETS IT RIGHT ON MARIJUANA SALES

There have to be restrictions; there have to be some controls as we
navigate this brave new world of legalization.

Without question, the Ontario government's plan to regulate marijuana
once the drug is legalized makes eminent sense. There's no doubt that
Canada is entering uncharted waters; caution should be the watchword.
We are, for the first time, legalizing the recreational use of a
street drug whose broader long-term impact on the population remains
uncertain and the last thing we need is to plunge into this with
careless abandon.

No, the provincial Liberals are not taking us back to the 1950s with
the measures they have announced to control the sale of cannabis. The
government is simply taking it one step at a time, and it is the right
strategy.

"The province is moving forward with a safe and sensible approach to
legalization that will ensure we can keep our communities and roads
safe, promote public health and harm reduction, and protect Ontario's
young people," Attorney General Yasir Naqvi said. He is right.

Think about what the government announced: In line with impending
federal law, marijuana will be legal in Ontario. At 19, the same
minimum age for alcohol, one can buy marijuana for recreational use.
Private stores that have sprung up across the city illegally selling
the drug will be shut down and instead, 150 standalone stores
operating under the umbrella of the LCBO will be established across
the province to sell the drug.

They will operate the same way alcohol is sold in the province. Today,
if you are a smoker and my colleague at work, you cannot puff away in
my face. You cannot smoke in public places. You are required to go
outside or to a designated area to indulge. Marijuana smokers are
simply being held to similar standard. They cannot smoke their joints
in public places and workplaces but are free to do so in their homes.
Down the road, the government may look at the feasibility of licensing
places where people can go and smoke a joint, but that will come with
time. That is eminently fair.

In essence, the government is treating the smoking of marijuana the
same way it is treating alcohol and cigarettes. What can be wrong with
that? Advocates say the government plan will make it difficult to buy
marijuana, and so it should, especially at this initial stage of
legalization. We regulate the sale of alcohol and cigarettes. We don't
allow alcohol to be sold in every store on every street corner, and
when you go to buy cigarettes, you are required to show ID that says
you are at the right age to smoke. There is nothing unique about
marijuana that requires its users to be given special treatment.

What is often lost or ignored in this debate is that we really don't
know the full health and psychological impact of marijuana use,
especially on the youth. Many users and advocates believe recreational
use is benign, but there is a large body of medical opinion that the
drug has a deleterious impact on young people. It is believed that
marijuana use could impair brain development in young adults, and
while some may pooh-pooh the suggestion, society as a whole cannot
simply dismiss it.

Police and other authorities worry about its impact on drivers and
there are many other concerns that the government cannot just ignore.
There have to be restrictions; there have to be some controls as we
navigate this brave new world of legalization. A time may come when
the door will be thrown wide open, but for now, this is something that
requires monitoring and research so we learn the right lessons. The
government is right to make haste slowly.
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MAP posted-by: Matt