B.C.'s NDP government is right to get ahead of the curve and establish a framework for distributing and regulating recreational cannabis in advance of the federal government legalizing it next July. But the plan still has some shortcomings that should be addressed before we legally light up our sativa and enjoy what one vendor described as its spicy, earthy flavours. B.C. intends to make marijuana available at public and private retail outlets, supplied exclusively by the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch. The government has determined that people age 19 and over will be allowed to buy it. [continues 341 words]
Smoke-free means smoke-free at Sault Area Hospital - whether that applies to tobacco fixes or toking up. Sault Area Hospital currently has a no-cigarette policy that encompasses its entire property, which will apply once recreational pot becomes legal in Canada next summer. "We have a no-smoking policy, so that would apply to smoking marijuana on our property," SAH president and CEO Ron Gagnon told The Sault Star. SAH's policy includes all buildings, parking lots, the Hub Trail running along the eastern edge of the hospital grounds, roads encircling the hospital leading to and from both Great Northern Road and Third Line and wooded and grass areas to the south and west of the emergency department and helipad. [continues 361 words]
Legal doesn't mean light up whenever you want Ever since, and probably long before, the federal Liberals started the process to legalize marijuana, some people have been equating legalization with deregulation. That was never in the cards. Saying 'But it's legal now, mannnnnnn,' after blowing smoke in a cop's face isn't going to carry much weight as he confiscates your joint or outfits you with a pair of pretty silver bracelets. The announcement this week that B.C.'s Liquor Distribution branch will have responsibility for distribution of non-medical marijuana shouldn't have come as a surprise, though it seems it did for many. [continues 219 words]
Ever since, and probably long before, the federal Liberals started the process to legalize marijuana, some people have been equating legalization with deregulation. That was never in the cards. Saying 'But it's legal now, mannnnnnn,' after blowing smoke in a cop's face just isn't going to carry much weight with him as he confiscates your joint or outfits you with a pair of pretty silver bracelets. The announcement this week that B.C.'s Liquor Distribution branch will have responsibility for distribution of non-medical marijuana shouldn't have come as a surprise, though it seems it did for many. [continues 216 words]
Fed-up landlord cracks down Ontario's threat of huge fines or jail time for landlords who rent to illegal pot shops has spurred at least one in Ottawa to take quick action, in the latest chapter of Canada's move to legalize and regulate weed. Police arrived at the popular Cannabis Culture dispensary on Bank Street on Thursday morning with a bailiff, who changed the locks and posted a notice on the door saying the lease was being terminated. Five people working inside were released without charge, according to staff who gathered outside. [continues 1438 words]
The B.C. NDP government tipped its hand Tuesday on how it plans to regulate the legal sale of marijuana. Besides setting the age at 19 to buy, possess and consume pot, similar to alcohol and tobacco, the province said the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch will be the sole supplier, distributing pot to private and public stores in the same manner it already does with booze. The government didn't address exactly who will sell pot but it looks like the NDP will take a different tact from the model already laid out in Ontario, where legal pot will only be available in about 150 stores, all operated by that province's liquor control board. [continues 604 words]
Marketing, packaging of legal marijuana sure to cause headaches VANCOUVER - David Brown's marijuana marketing students are often shocked to learn how difficult it is to - well - market marijuana. Advertising medical cannabis is essentially banned in Canada, with some exceptions. Restrictions on recreational weed are set to be a bit looser, but Brown still advises students to think of the constraints as opportunities. "These limitations can really aid in creativity. Marketing weed isn't difficult, but marketing a highly regulated cannabis product is a lot more of a challenge," said Brown, an instructor in Kwantlen Polytechnic University's cannabis professional series. [continues 905 words]
The picture of legal marijuana in B.C. got a little clearer this week, as the provincial government released some of its planned regulations. While some decisions have yet to be made - or made public - three important ones are in place: minimum age, wholesale distribution and retail policy. The government has wisely set the minimum age for cannabis at 19. That's the same as for alcohol and tobacco, and matches the age of majority in B.C. Having different ages for different vices would confuse everyone, and regulators have to keep in mind the studies that say cannabis has a harmful effect on the developing brains of teenagers. [continues 405 words]
The County of Strathcona prides itself on being a "champion for advancing diverse agricultural business." We hope that you keep this spirit in mind when voting on the request to place a moratorium on cannabis operations under intensive horticulture in Strathcona County. As a county that puts priority on being a place that is open for business and investment, this moratorium is counter-intuitive to Strathcona's strategic priorities and goals. With agricultural expertise and well-honed entrepreneurial spirit, Alberta is poised to be a leader in the Canadian cannabis industry. [continues 787 words]
New government rules set 19 as minimum age to buy marijuana The provincial government announced Tuesday that the BC Liquor Distribution Branch will be the wholesale distributor of non-medical cannabis once the federal government legalizes marijuana in July 2018. The policy move by the government is in addition to new rules that state buyers and consumers of recreational marijuana must be at least 19 years old, which is consistent with current laws related to alcohol and tobacco. Mike Farnworth, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, spoke to reporters in a conference call but would not say specifically where consumers will be able to legally buy marijuana under the new rules. [continues 542 words]
A New Brunswick-based medical marijuana producer in partnership with both the provincial government and the Trailer Park Boys has had a lawsuit against it expanded to include possible health effects. A class action was filed on March 3 against Health Canada-certified medical cannabis producer Organigram Inc. for containing unauthorized pesticides. Halifax-based injury lawyer Ray Wagner, who is representing the plaintiffs, told The Chronicle Herald the suit was originally economic in nature - essentially to return to clients the money they paid for the recalled product - but last month it was expanded to take into account the health impacts of using the tainted product. [continues 573 words]
The owner of a Halifax marijuana dispensary says the province's recreational pot policy announced Thursday will drive more people to the black market. But Chris Enns said he doesn't fear that widespread access to pot next July will threaten his business. "I've had no less than half a dozen individuals call me this morning literally in tears, worried I was going to shut down or be shut down by these new regulations and that they wouldn't have a source for their medicine anymore," said Enns, owner of Farm Assists Medical Cannabis Resource Centre, in an interview Thursday. [continues 338 words]
A Carlington pot shop won't reopen after a fire now being probed by arson investigators, says a city councillor who's long been opposed to the illicit enterprise. The owners of Ottawa Cannabis Dispensary did not respond to an interview request but Coun. Riley Brockington said that they told him Friday that the Laperriere Avenue shop had closed before it was gutted by an early morning fire and they are no longer in the business. Brockington is disappointed that arson is suspected in the fire, which was near homes and across the street from a Montessori school. Nearby businesses include an auto body shop with a stack of tires, and a chip truck out front with a large propane tank. [continues 409 words]
MORE than 21 per cent of adult Manitobans used cannabis in the past year and another 21.1 per cent may try it after legalization, new data from the Liquor and Gaming Authority of Manitoba suggests. The figures come from an anonymous phone survey of 1,201 adults in September. The alcohol and gambling regulator, whose mandate will include marijuana, says its sample is "quasi-representative" of the province's adult population. The survey found 55.2 per cent of Manitobans have used cannabis, with 16 being the most common age of initiation. [continues 282 words]
Legalized marijuana will 'enslave our youth" and turn the federal government into "the new pusher on the block," a Chatham politician says - drawing a rebuke from the community's top publichealth official. Dave Van Kesteren said that nothing about the federal government's Cannabis Act is good, but he's particularly concerned about how it allows youth ages 11 to 17 to carry up to five grams of cannabis. "Doctors have been saying, psychiatrists have been saying, that because the brain is still forming and is not fully formed by the time somebody is 25, somebody below that age should certainly not be using it," the Conservative member said in an interview. [continues 426 words]
A group of Alberta's future doctors are calling on the provincial government to use cannabis tax revenue to fund mental health initiatives for youth. At least, that will be the pitch when 40 medical students from the University of Alberta and University of Calgary get together Monday with MLAs from various parties. The Alberta Medical Students' Association has previously used its annual meeting at the legislature to push for investments in mental health, but this time the group wants funding for young adults and children at risk of adverse childhood experience. They are also calling for the formation of a cannabis and youth advisory board to work on future prevention, education and intervention efforts. [continues 289 words]
Top grower says science convinced him despite his initial reluctance Jim Hole is getting into the commercial cannabis game and he couldn't be happier. In fact, the St. Albert greenhouse owner who has dedicated a lifetime to horticulture can't remember the last time he was this excited about growing a plant. This week, Hole's Greenhouses and Atlas Growers, an Alberta-based medicinal and recreational cannabis producer, joined forces to create a partnership that they hope will produce the very best commercial quality harvest of legal marijuana in the industry. [continues 331 words]
On Monday, Nov. 27, The Cannabis Act passed third reading. This was the last vote in the House of Commons before the legislation goes to the Senate for review and approval. The government's plan is to have marijuana on the market for recreational use starting July 1, 2018. I voted "no" to this legislation. Here's why: The Liberal government has been told by numerous authorities, including the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, to slow down. There's no reason the legislation needs to come into effect on July 1, 2018 and law enforcement agents have warned the government of the negative impact its rushed time frame will have on officers and the safety of Canadians. [continues 782 words]
The proliferation of personal yet industrial-scale marijuana farms, licensed and shielded by health privacy laws, has created a shadow market in which individual patients are collectively churning out as much marijuana as some commercial producers - with none of the scrutiny. Although they operate under the guise of legitimacy, a Globe and Mail investigation has found that these personal grow-ops are prime targets for robberies and abuse by organized crime. As the federal government edges closer to scrapping Canada's longstanding prohibition against the sale of recreational marijuana, the country's two-tiered medical marijuanaregime serves as a major obstacle to one of Ottawa's frequently stated legalization goals: the elimination of gangsters from a legal marketplace. [continues 3069 words]
It will become legal next year, but the local health unit is grappling with what role it will play in dealing with recreational cannabis. The federal government has laid out the legal framework to legalize recreational cannabis use by June, and the province has already set out how it plans to regulate use throughout Ontario. The sale of marijuana will only be allowed through government-regulated stores overseen by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) and the proposed minimum age to use, purchase and possess will be 19. [continues 475 words]
