As we rapidly approach marijuana legalization, the government has yet to explain how they'll tackle the organizational nightmare that comes with granting amnesty to those convicted of simple possession and other pot-related crimes. Tens of thousands of Canadians have criminal records due to convictions for pot possession. When legalization comes into effect, there will no longer be any reason to keep punishing those who were convicted of pot-related crimes in the years beforehand. In an editorial in The Toronto Star, the editorial board makes a case for offering amnesty to those convicted of pot possession. 17,733 people were charged with possession of pot in 2016 alone(link is external), and those charges will follow them throughout their lives without a pardon. [continues 351 words]
Needle prick incidents may be a byproduct of permissive action aimed at saving lives Anyone who spends a significant amount of time in downtown Victoria is at least somewhat aware of the potential for spent hypodermic needles to be discovered. That said, finding one in a public or private area is always grim reminder of the reality that people in our midst struggle daily with addiction. And despite the efforts of local groups, those that work with the city's drug-addicted population, to clean up after the relatively small number of addicts who can't or won't dispose of needles safely, there are innocent, unsuspecting people getting pricked. [continues 245 words]
Major social reforms inevitably hit unforeseen obstacles. Here's yet one more that looms for the Trudeau government's plan to legalize cannabis. Several municipal governments in Quebec have served notice in recent weeks that, when pot becomes legal this summer, they will enforce strict bylaws that could effectively forbid its consumption by recreational users. Under Quebec's proposed pot law, municipal councils will have the right to ban the smoking of pot in all public places - well beyond the usual restrictions on tobacco and alcohol. Some towns seem intent on passing bylaws so strict that the only legal place to smoke weed would be at home. [continues 413 words]
Prescribed opiates rarely hit streets, writes Barry Ulmer. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta is happy lately, at least according to the medical regulator's new registrar. Dr. Scott McLeod wrote in these pages last week that doctors contributed to Alberta's "opioid crisis" by over-prescribing, and now they're going to help fix it. "We need to prescribe opioids more appropriately," he wrote, "and that means less. Already, prescriptions for Albertans in pain are way down, and that's terrific." [continues 660 words]
Of course growing tomatoes, cucumbers and the like is a legitimate use of agricultural land. After all, the Agricultural Land Reserve was created to do just that. Right? Hmm, well kinda. The fact is tomatoes et al tend to be grown in greenhouses and those greenhouses are built by covering acres of prime agricultural land with slabs of concrete, which are then enclosed and outfitted with elaborate lighting, heating and watering systems. In fact, they're more warehouse than they are farm. [continues 418 words]
Health Canada's consultation with Canadians on the regulation of marijuana is down to its final days. But what exactly does the government wants us to comment on? Do officials want us to question the stated objectives? Or perhaps they want us to ask why they're being dishonest about their consultation process? We're in the middle of an opioid crisis that has already killed thousands of Canadians and will likely kill thousands more. That clouds this conversation. Yet our experience with other drugs and even ordinary consumer products tells us that government regulations to protect public health by ensuring product safety and quality control are extremely important. [continues 555 words]
Quebec municipalities seek piece of 'pot pie' as legalization creates potential challenges With Canada's legalization of cannabis slated for July 2018, municipalities in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region could find themselves with an additional source of revenue next year. They could find themselves with many additional expenses, too. As Quebec puts a claim on half of potential tax revenues related to sales, Quebec municipalities are demanding that one-third of that tax revenue be dedicated to them. The rationale for towns asking for their share is based on an assumption of increased costs for municipalities for law enforcement, urban planning and court costs according to the Union of Quebec Municipalities (UQM). [continues 274 words]
Legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada is only a few months away, but it's going to take a lot longer than that to clean up the mess left behind from almost a century of prohibition. One of the most pressing issues has to be to wipe the slate clean for Canadians who have criminal records for possession. When Bill C-45 (the Cannabis Act) was tabled, the government said there would be no general amnesty for past convictions. But now it seems the Liberals are starting to come to their senses - at least a bit. [continues 679 words]
If drug users shouldn't be treated as criminals, then Canadians who have criminal records for pot possession convictions should receive amnesty The Trudeau government's decision to legalize marijuana was a welcome and overdue acknowledgement of what has in recent decades become a truism of both the health and justice fields: Treating pot smokers as criminals is a costly, dangerous mistake. The government is right that the prohibition on pot has driven up the cost of policing, contributed to a national crisis of court delays, compounded racial and class inequities and unnecessarily criminalized people for doing something that by and large poses little threat to them or others - all without delivering the promised benefits for public health or public safety. [continues 566 words]
Earlier this month, Kansas state Rep. Steve Alford embarrassed himself by mistakenly repeating racist rhetoric that was originally used by Henry Anslinger, an avowed racist from the late 1920s, when referring to use of marijuana by people of color. I do not believe Alford is a racist. But I do believe, like so many others, he is misinformed when it comes to the facts and issues related to marijuana and the history of marijuana prohibition. Presently marijuana is considered a Schedule 1 drug under the federal government's Controlled Substances Act -- right next to heroin. I think most of us would agree marijuana is not the equivalent of heroin. Nevertheless, it remains as a classified drug for the purposes of federal prosecution. [continues 521 words]
Less that six months before the start of the legal marijuana era begins, here's what the B.C. government has decided when it comes to how to handle it: * The minimum age for consumption and possession will be 19, * Wholesales distribution will be handled by the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch, * Retail sales will go through some mix of public and private stores. There's a bit more to this than just those items. B.C. and other provinces have also succeeded in budging the federal government off its original offer of a 50-50 sharing of cannabis tax revenues. It's going to be 75 per cent to the provinces, and Ottawa's share is capped at $100 million a year. That suggests that the federal government won't be making much money off this change, not that it expected much, given the new costs to be incurred. Whether the provinces can turn a buck from the new revenue stream remains to be seen, since they'll bear most of the new costs. [continues 533 words]
Young people are going to lose one of their last remaining ways to stick it to The Man How will marijuana legalization affect us? If only there were a way to see the future, to look into a crystal bong, so to speak. Well, we can, more or less. It's been legally sold in Colorado for four years. Has it turned people there into zombies? Is there more general giggling than there was before? The sky hasn't fallen. Various studies indicate that teen consumption hasn't increased (in fact, it's gone down, according to trusted news source leafbuyer. com). Traffic fatalities continue on a downward trend. That's what happens when everybody drives three miles an hour. And with $230 million going into the treasury in 2016, tax revenues are so high they can't feel their face. [continues 557 words]
The reluctance of the Saskatchewan Party government to come forward with a fulsome policy on legal cannabis sales speaks to the discomfort this conservative-minded administration is having with the subject matter. But it also demonstrates how this party's leadership race - and perhaps other political considerations - have shut down the business of governing for some time now. The kindest grade one can give Monday's government announcement on legal marijuana sales is "late" and "incomplete." It avoided answering even the most basic question: At what age will one be able to purchase marijuana in Saskatchewan, come its legalization on July 1. [continues 573 words]
A legal pot shop will open in Peterborough this summer and what a report that goes to city council Monday night reveals is that most of the local impacts are still unknown. One concern for some municipalities is that they have no say on where marijuana stores locate. It's an old irritation: because municipalities are "creatures of the province" zoning regulations cities normally use to direct where a business can set up shop don't apply. Fortunately, that's not really a concern. [continues 385 words]
Addiction is a serious issue, but it shouldn't be a criminal one, says Derek Chang. "I just learned that my cousin overdosed at a friend's party. His friends were afraid of calling 911 and left him alone. He was eventually brought to the hospital but remained in a coma and died the following day." Biting her lips, my patient told me this painful news in the clinic. I thought I wouldn't be hearing these kinds of tragedies again after the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act came into legislation last year. [continues 689 words]
Picture this: You're an injection drug user in Ottawa, and, you're worried the next time you use, you might die. So, you head for the Shepherds of Good Hope, where there's a special trailer. There, you can use your drugs - and someone will save you if you overdose. Upon arrival, though, there's a police cruiser outside. Apparently it's there a lot, according to Ottawa Inner City Health, which runs the site, and officers question staff and clients. [continues 581 words]
Marijuana, cannabis, pot, whatever you want to call it, it will become legal in Canada sometime this year following the U.S. where pot is legal in several states. I do not smoke pot or anything else. Two glasses of wine and I am asleep. I do get high though watching the Patriots and the Red Sox win. I am also asthmatic and any kind of smoke bothers me. There is a lot of kerfuffle going on and this is my take on this hot topic. [continues 554 words]
Last month, the government of Ontario passed the Cannabis Act. It gives the province a monopoly on the sale of recreational marijuana through an estimated 150 stand alone stores to be run by the new Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation. While the new law piggybacks on the federal decision to legalize recreational marijuana this summer, as well as a new federal-provincial revenue sharing agreement that will give the provinces and territories 75 per cent of federal marijuana revues, it has not been without controversy. In the Ontario Legislature, 27 Progressive Conservatives opposed the law, citing concerns from police associations that more financial support is required for law enforcement. While the NDP supported the law, some of its MPPs expressed concerns about the uncertainty of revenues to be provided to municipalities, as well as the small number of store fronts (40) to be opened this summer, which they see as inadequate to put a dent in the existing black market. [continues 446 words]
We are just a few months away from marijuana being legal for recreational use in Ontario. For legislators, one of the trickiest aspects of navigating the road to legal pot, has been the question of how to handle/discourage drugged driving. How much pot constitutes too much when it comes to cognitive ability? What's the best way to test for it? A sobering poll, conducted last year by the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), suggests that when it comes to public education on drugged driving, we have a long way to go. [continues 332 words]
At some point this summer, Justin Trudeau expects to make good on his promise to legalize recreational marijuana use across Canada. The Senate thus-far has spoiled Trudeau's plans to kick off Canada Day with a country-wide high, and may yet delay or otherwise thwart speedy implementation of his Cannabis Act. The provinces, meanwhile, are working to flesh out the regulatory details that will govern the sale, purchase, distribution and use of pot across the country. However, the reality of marijuana legalization is fast approaching, raising the question, how do Canadians feel about legal pot now that it is upon us? [continues 553 words]
