Legal Marijuana

[LoneWolf_53]

I guess they'll just have to adapt like others did when prohibition ended.

Look at Richard Petty, went from criminal moonshine runner, to King of NASCAR. LOL

[JLives]

I think it could be a great opportunity for people to become employed who could never fit in to the working world before. They are already very skilled at it.

[LiamHaddock]

We currently refer to illegal marijuana dealers as criminals and I'm sure a lot are.

But a lot of them are also victims of this failed prohibition. I know many weed dealers that are otherwise upstanding law abiding citizens.

It will be nice that those without criminal records will hopefully be able to legitimize their buisness once legal.

[Gixxer]

We currently refer to illegal marijuana dealers as criminals and I'm sure a lot are.

But a lot of them are also victims of this failed prohibition. I know many weed dealers that are otherwise upstanding law abiding citizens.

It will be nice that those without criminal records will hopefully be able to legitimize their buisness once legal.

I would add growers as well.

[atenbacon]

I know many weed dealers that are otherwise upstanding law abiding citizens.

How is this ever an argument for legalization?

Replace "weed dealers" with any other crime, it still results in someone who is knowingly breaking the law.

[maryjane48]

There are many companies making profit growing other plants legitimately. And the sell price is much lower than marijuana. Marijuana costs the same to grow as tomatoes.

yes , the folks in states are over pric8ng because there is only few states for rec use .

[LiamHaddock]

I know many weed dealers that are otherwise upstanding law abiding citizens.

How is this ever an argument for legalization?

Replace "weed dealers" with any other crime, it still results in someone who is knowingly breaking the law.

its an argument because there is currently a silly law preventing people from growing and smoking a relatively harmless plant. Its a big difference than a serious crime like murder or running guns. There are many laws that are unjust and overbearing in our society, yet we call it "freedom"

Some marijuana dealers/growers maybe evolved in heavier crime. But the small mom and pops personal small home grow op or college kid selling some marijuana to help get through school. There just your average normal person and don't deserve to be victimized and classed as a criminal.

Marijuana prohibition has been a failure and all otherwise law abiding citizens that are criminalized by a law that's about to disappear. They are victims to in my opinion.

[atenbacon]

It's a silly law because you say it is?

Well, OK then, I think speed limits are a silly law, as well as not being allowed to smash into the back end of slow drivers to give them a "nudge". Guess what though, I, unlike those that break the law abide by the laws.

Don't think I am not for legalization, there are many good reasons for getting there, but what I am not for is people breaking the law in the mean time. Change the legislation and I am all for it. Get out there and petition for the change, I may even join you in voicing my opinion on the matter. Your argument as it sits is just plain silly, and to go to the point of equating it to the civil rights movement is patently ridiculous.

What other laws do you find silly? Even if they are wrong, they are laws until they are changed, what gives you the right to choose what laws you follow?

[LiamHaddock]

it's a silly law because its a victim-less crime. if some one grows a plant for themselves and smokes it they are causing no harm.
its a silly law because the government has realized it and is actually ending prohibition of the plant.

Speed limits aren't silly as if you say "smashing into a slow driver to give them a nudge" well thats not victimless and is an actual crime. You can kill someone speeding. Simply growing and smoking a plant in your home isnt going to kill anyone.

As for other laws that are debate-ably overbearing or unjust in my opinion I could go on for pages. We are not so free in this free country. This is about marijuana legalization though so i'll stay on topic..

If it wasn't for marijuana growers and sellers practicing civil disobedience going against the grain against an unjust law, countless people would not have the well established illegal networks to provide us all with this amazing medicinal plant.

Laws often get forced on the majority by a few, it doesn't mean they are right. Actions are louder than words. Civil disobedience is often needed.

Its taken years of lobbying by activists and illegal marijuana providers to overturn this one failed portion of the War On Drugs.

Growers, Sellers and Buyers of illegal marijuana are all performing criminal activity and have been for years do to prohibition simply by enjoying this wonderful, harmless plant.

"Overgrow the government" has seemed to work

When the legal marijuana business is up and running. It will be easy to forget the time, effort and sacrifice many "criminals" had to provide in order to help create this market and industry.

We should be thanking our local weed dealers for keeping the market alive and growing until the government could wake up and realize it isn't going anywhere.

[LiamHaddock]

a new article from today:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/10/28/trudeau-marijuana-legalization_n_8409710.html

Trudeau's Liberals have promised to legalize and regulate the recreational use of marijuana.

"Canada's current system of marijuana prohibition does not work," the Liberal election platform said.

"We will remove marijuana consumption and incidental possession from the Criminal Code and create new, stronger laws to punish more severely those who provide it to minors, those who operate a motor vehicle while under its influence and those who sell it outside of the new regulatory framework."

The first step in the path to legalization will be to establish a provincial, territorial and federal task force to hear from public health, substance abuse and public safety experts.

Donald MacPherson, the director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, said Canada is well-positioned to tackle this issue.

There has been a vigorous discussion underway in the academic and public health community for the last decade because many believed legalization was inevitable, he added.

[LiamHaddock]

article from yesterday, sad when alcohol and tobacco are sold at stores on every corner it seems:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-marijuana-dispensaries-only-11-of-176-approved-by-city-1.3290452

Only 11 marijuana dispensaries out of the 176 that applied for business licenses under new regulations set out by the city of Vancouver have received the go ahead

"As an example, the one at Richards and Helmcken, it's 127 meters from [The Gathering Place] Community Centre and 220 meters from the Roundhouse Community Centre," said Briere.

The B.C. Compassion Club Society, Vancouver's oldest marijuana dispensary, also had its application denied. The Compassion Club is located across the street from Stratford Hall Private School on Commercial Drive.

Jamie Shaw, president of the B.C. Compassion Club Society, says her organization intends to appeal to the city board of variance and hopes to be granted an exception.

"We've been in operation for 18 years and in the same location for almost all of that time," said Shaw. "We looked at trying to move our location ... but rents were significantly higher.

"For us as a non-profit that runs close to the bone, that literally would have resulted in cuts to health care services that we provide to our members," she said.

Briere said he hopes the Canadian Cannabis Coalition will appeal and secure injunctions for the stores that have had their applications denied, allowing them to remain open. He's also hoping incoming prime minister Justin Trudeau will make good on his campaign promise to legalize marijuana.

"I think that a lot of people are wanting to let the federal government to regulate this now that the Liberals have come in," he said.

[Donald G]

When all is said and done the new government has said it intends to re-examine the situation with a view to making "marijuana" more available to Canadians.

Absolutely nothing has been said about how the present system will be altered or what types of marijuana and/or marijuana products will be involved. Every comment on this string professing to identify what system will be implemented and/or what types of "marijuana" or marijuana product will be involved is strictly the unsubstantiated opinion of the person posting.

[LiamHaddock]

Every comment on this string professing to identify what system will be implemented and/or what types of "marijuana" or marijuana product will be involved is strictly the unsubstantiated opinion of the person posting.

What are u talking about? What comment claims to know what system and marijuana will be put in place? No ones claiming they know what system or strains/types of marijuana is going to be available once a system is set up. This thread is a discussion about legalization in Canada and how its going to be implemented. Lots of people have opinions about current systems and what is best. And so far lots of links and info has been provided. It's great to discuss failures and wins of other systems in place.

All that's been repeatedly said and supported by links/articles is the following:

Marijuana prohibition failed.

It will be legalized.

Canada is creating a federal-provincial task force to create canadas own system.

Colorado, Washington and others are having lots of problems regulating marijuana. Mainly due to neighboring states different laws.

Canada has well entrenched black market that will be hard to compete with.

Marijuana failed prohibition laws have turned otherwise law abiding citizens into criminals.

If you want to really get rid of black market canada will need to hit the blackmarket where it hurts their profits.

Medical patients and affordability should be addressed.

........

Canada I believe will create a world class system that will be one other countries can look to!

[LiamHaddock]

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/why-marijuanas-momentum-seems-unstoppable

But the epic size of the Liberals’ policy shift also has much to do with its complexity. For starters, the government must address two very different, though interlinked, situations.

Part of the industry – involving medical marijuana – has been legal in Canada for more than a decade but has been undergoing a profound shift since April 1, 2014. That’s when rules were changed in favour of industrial-scale suppliers and away from homegrown operations.
Part of the industry – involving medical marijuana – has been legal in Canada for more than a decade but has been undergoing a profound shift since April 1, 2014. That’s when rules were changed in favour of industrial-scale suppliers and away from homegrown operations.

Alongside the legal medical regime is the much larger black market involving the sale of recreational marijuana. This multi-billion-dollar-a-year industry is Trudeau’s main target.

The Liberal party’s rationale for legalizing its products is straightforward. “Canada’s current system of marijuana prohibition does not work,” the policy reads. “It does not prevent young people from using marijuana and too many Canadians end up with criminal records for possessing small amounts of the drug.”

But shifting hundreds of thousands of marijuana users from illegal sources of supply to legitimate ones will involve a series of difficult choices, not least of which are: who should be allowed to produce it, how should recreational pot be sold, and where can it be consumed. The best bet for now, according to industry insiders, is that the major source of supply will come from today’s medical marijuana producers, who will continue to sell directly to patients while recreational strains will be sold through retail outlets, akin to liquor control outlets or Beer Stores.

The Liberals will also have to take account of the current kingpins of the marijuana economy: criminals who are facing the loss of great chunks of their lucrative trade. Canada’s police services will have to weigh in with counters to the criminals’ likely responses. Will the criminals threaten legitimate producers or will they move more aggressively into the distribution of harder drugs such as cocaine?

[LiamHaddock]

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/11/08/no-quick-route-to-legalizing-pot-in-canada

OTTAWA - On Parliament Hill, the real work gets done by committees of MPs.

But which committee gets to figure out how to legalize pot, as per Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s most famous campaign promise?

The Justice Committee? The Health Committee? Or perhaps — wait for it — a Joint Committee?

Bad puns aside, making pot legal is not going to happen quickly or without some controversy, partly because government works through these issues by committees.

And while it’s early days yet for the Trudeau administration, there are some hints about next steps.

“Our commitments in the election campaign were clear,” Dominic Leblanc said on Thursday. Leblanc is the government house leader, a cabinet-level position that makes him Trudeau’s right-hand man when it comes to slotting different priorities for the House of Commons to deal with. You’ll be seeing a lot of Leblanc over the next four years.

He said his top priority right now is pushing through Trudeau’s promised income tax cut.

That’ll happen when the House of Commons is summoned for a week-long run in early December. The highlight that week will be the speech from the throne, which should have more details about Trudeau’s pot plans.

In the meantime, Leblanc, a lawyer, had this warning.

“The Criminal Code, in spite of the swearing in of a new government, was not changed. My colleague, the minister of justice, obviously with her provincial counterparts, will want to discuss this.

“So I would urge you to wait and be patient. The commitments we made in the election campaign, including changes like that to the Criminal Code, will be coming, but be coming in a responsible way in co-operation with provinces and other interested stakeholders.”

That’s Parliament-speak for: This is going to take a little while.

As Leblanc said, the new federal justice minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould, has to talk to all of her provincial counterparts. That’ll take time.

And while that’s happening, federal health minister Jane Philpott said she wants to talk to her provincial counterparts.

“Marijuana is very much a health issue,” Philpott said. And yes, there have already been giggles over the ending of the health minister’s last name in this regard.

And at the end of all that, we do indeed come back to committees of MPs. Even a joint committee of MPs would not start work at the earliest until February.

Legalizing pot by next summer would be nearly impossibly fast work. The more likely bet is to see movement on this file in at least a year’s time.