Pubdate: Sat, 30 Sep 2017
Source: Standard Freeholder (Cornwall, CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 Cornwall Standard Freeholder
Contact: http://www.standard-freeholder.com/letters
Website: http://www.standard-freeholder.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1169
Author: Matthew Groulx
Page: A6

DOOMED TO FAIL

"It is a law of politics that shamelessness pays, but only in Canada
would it be taken to this level of nakedly self-serving, patronizing
demagoguery without an indignant shove back from the consuming public.
We're just so used to it." - Neil Macdonald, CBC News.

All it would take to legalize cannabis is to remove it from the CDSA
schedule. Job done.

Set some sensible regulations, collect some taxes and let the citizens
and expert growers of Ontario transition into legality and grow a real
industry here. There is a vibrant and thriving Canadian cannabis
industry already in existence, with thousands of respectable growers
and vendors and products available in hundreds of retail storefronts
in Ontario.

Under the new regulatory and criminal framework the only product that
will be legally available is bud and a weak oil. No honey oil, no
cookies, no vapes, no hash, no shatter, no budder or wax, no lotions,
no gummies, no soaps, no cooking products, no creativity, no love-
nothing.

By trying to monopolize the market and regulate cannabis as though it
was a deadly poison, the government will be unable to compete. The
existing marketplace isn't going anywhere. It will not be shut down,
they've been trying for 60 years.

The arbitrary limits on possession and allowable plants per household
proposed under Bill C-45 will not stand up to a Charter challenge.
There are currently no limits on how much alcohol you can purchase,
posses, brew in your basement or give away to your friends.

The 31st gram of marijuana is to be illegal and criminal while the
first 30 are OK? A fifth cannabis plant in your house makes you a
criminal, but the first four are OK? What if one of your four legal
plants should grow above 100 centimetres?

Well good citizen, you just became a criminal.

These are arbitrary, nonsensical limits on our freedom that do nothing
to achieve the stated goals of the legislation. Activist lawyers are
chomping at the bit.

Forty stores for 13 million citizens just isn't going to cut it; one
store per 325,000 people in Ontario with plans to eventually have one
store per 100,000? Will Cornwall even get one?

This plan is already a failure. Who really wants to drive to Ottawa to
buy weed from someone that just transferred over from Service Ontario?
Take a number? Have a seat? Now serving No. 628?

I would encourage those that care about small business and the Charter
rights of all Canadians to watch the testimony of Kirk Tousaw, Dana
Larsen and Marc and Jodie Emery at the Bill C-45 hearings a couple
weeks ago. They're available on YouTube.

Matthew Groulx

Cornwall
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MAP posted-by: Matt