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Canada Poised To Approve Legal Marijuana Sales
Posted by CN Staff on June 07, 2018 at 12:06:56 PT
By USA TODAY Network
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
Canada’s government is poised to approve sweeping cannabis legalization as soon as this week and could launch marijuana sales by late summer.The appointed Canadian Senate is expected to give the OK to legalization measure Thursday following years of quiet study and discussion. Once approved by the House, which has already passed a version of the plan, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government expects to launch legal sales as soon as 10-12 weeks from now.
Canada’s approach differs dramatically from that taken in the United States, which has seen nine states and the District of Columbia legalize cannabis but has so far avoided a substantive national discussion about the widely used drug. As part of legalization, the Canadian government will also likely inform citizens that admitting to marijuana use might get them barred from crossing the border into the United States, which still classifies cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug.“We’ve very much learned from the early mistakes made by some U.S. states and other jurisdictions,” said Sen. Tony Dean, an Independent who sponsored the bill in the Senate. “We know have a national challenge with cannabis. We have some of the highest youth consumption rates in the world, an illegal cannabis market worth upward of $6 billion annually, we know it’s harmful for kids, especially younger kids … and we had a government that wanted to tackle those issues.”Trudeau and his Liberal party included marijuana legalization as part of their 2015 campaign, and his government has been working toward creating a structure for recreational cannabis sales and consumption since taking office. Medical marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2001, and many U.S.-based cannabis companies have been jockeying for position in that market with an eye toward broader legalization.Experts say recreational marijuana sales in Canada could be worth $3.3 billion by 2027, in part because businesses will find it easier to work nationally, instead of piecemeal like in the United States. Uruguay is the only other country to legalize marijuana; many other countries have decriminalized it but still prohibit sales.Canada’s regulations, which are still being finalized, would permit people as young as 18 to buy marijuana from regulated stores and to grow small amounts at home, depending upon which province or territory they live in. The draft rules also call for setting aggressive targets for reducing youth cannabis use, creating national standards for potency testing and packaging and setting tax rates low enough to undercut the black market.By legalizing marijuana at the federal level, the Canadian government sets the stage for more traditional investment while also assuring entrepreneurs they can use banks like any other business. In the U.S., many cannabis firms must conduct their operations with cash because banks worry the federal government will target them as drug traffickers.“Canada is creating a normal industry. What we have in the United States is a very abnormal industry,” said Roy Bingham, the CEO and co-founder of cannabis data firm BDS Analytics. “In Canada, you see tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceutical companies, all these mainstream industries interested in getting involved.”Bingham said many European countries are closely watching how legalization rolls out in Canada, even though California has more residents and a bigger marijuana marketplace: “It’s a respectable, well-regulated country with a democracy that people admire.”That’s bad news to Kevin Sabet, who runs the U.S.-based anti-legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana,. Sabet has consulted with Trudeau’s government about his concerns over marijuana edibles, potency and the speed at which the country is moving toward broader cannabis access. His group warns that widespread marijuana legalization will create a new “Big Tobacco” industry with untold public health costs.“They’re being more deliberative than the U.S., yes, but that doesn’t mean they have the secret sauce,” Sabet said. “There are considerable concerns with how Canada is normalizing marijuana.”The plan being discussed by the Canadian Senate this week lacks one major policy point many social justice advocates had pushed for: expunging the criminal records of people previously convicted for minor marijuana crimes. In California, which launched legal sales on Jan. 1, some prosecutors are automatically wiping away those records, and prosecutors in Seattle are seeking to do the same.Dean said the Trudeau government has assured the Senate that it will address the issue of criminal records once the law is in place. He said after decades of prohibition, Canada’s government is ready to treat marijuana and its users differently.“It’s a sophisticated piece of public policy that focuses on tackling challenges that were decades in the making,” he said. “We were frankly looking the other way for decades.”Source: Chicago Sun-Times (IL)Published: June 7, 2018Copyright: 2018 The Sun-Times Co. Contact: letters suntimes.com Website: http://www.suntimes.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/vfi5bdTXCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #13 posted by afterburner on June 26, 2018 at 06:32:07 PT
New Canadian Impaired Law Mimics Washington State 
Canada's impaired driving laws just got a huge and controversial overhaul — here's what you should know.
Bill C-46 made reforms to alcohol-impaired driving and drug-impaired driving, and police now have powerful new tools to charge drivers.
National Post.
Brian Platt.
June 21, 2018.
4:42 PM EDT.
Last Updated.
June 22, 2018.
7:51 AM EDT
http://nationalpost.com/news/politics/canadas-impaired-driving-laws-just-got-a-huge-and-controversial-overhaul-heres-what-you-should-know
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #12 posted by afterburner on June 21, 2018 at 16:55:13 PT
Bills C-45 & C-46 Pass Parliament
Cannabis Act, impaired driving changes among several bills to officially pass Parliament.
Rachel Aiello, Ottawa News Bureau Online Producer. 
 rachaiello .
Published Thursday, June 21, 2018 10:53AM EDT. 
Last Updated Thursday, June 21, 2018 2:18PM EDT.
OTTAWA – The federal government's legislation to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana has received Royal Assent, meaning the bill [C-45] has officially passed Parliament.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/cannabis-act-impaired-driving-changes-among-several-bills-to-officially-pass-parliament-1.3983007Excerpts:"Despite the bill [C-45] passing, it is not yet law. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday that Oct. 17 will be the date that marijuana will be legal across Canada." [Comment: Not yet Law!]"Bill C-45's companion piece of legislation, Bill C-46, which deals with impaired driving also received Royal Assent. This legislation changes the impaired driving laws to give police new powers to conduct roadside intoxication tests, including oral fluid drug tests, and makes it illegal to drive within two hours of being over the legal limit. For example, the bill states that having between two and five nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood would be a summary criminal conviction, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000."According to the Justice Department, the drug-impaired driving aspects of the bill have now become law, with Royal Assent. This means despite legalized marijuana not yet being allowed, there are new restrictions on drug-impaired driving. [Comment: Now Law!]
The changes in the bill related to alcohol-impaired driving come into force on December 18, 2018." 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #11 posted by afterburner on June 16, 2018 at 15:58:54 PT
Canadian Farmers Getting more Local Govt. Support 
Should Hamilton allow “monster” marijuana greenhouses?
News Jun 15, 2018 by Matthew Van Dongen The Hamilton Spectator
https://www.thespec.com/news-story/8674741-should-hamilton-allow-monster-marijuana-greenhouses-/President Trump please help American farmers compete.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by afterburner on June 16, 2018 at 14:29:37 PT
More Stalls by Conservatives in Canadian Senate 2
 Marathon voting session stalls pot bill, cancels Friday sitting of Commons http://canoe.com/cannabis/cannabis-news/cannabis-legislation/marathon-voting-session-stalls-pot-bill-cancels-friday-sitting-of-commons
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by afterburner on June 14, 2018 at 10:53:35 PT
Quebec Joins the Legalization Train
Montreal.
Quebec has passed its long-awaited cannabis law. Here's what's in it.
Province lays out rules in anticipation of federal legalization.
Benjamin Shingler · CBC News · Posted: Jun 12, 2018 11:36 AM ET | Last Updated: June 13
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-cannabis-bill-157-1.4702498
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by Hope on June 11, 2018 at 21:19:42 PT
Oh, Canada, indeed!
Get it done, big country! Get it done!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by FoM on June 11, 2018 at 16:30:28 PT
HempWorld
Thank you too! 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by HempWorld on June 11, 2018 at 15:44:05 PT
FoM, thank YOU so much!
Amen, to what you said below!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by FoM on June 09, 2018 at 05:55:48 PT
BGreen
I agree with you! What a time to be alive. We won! We actually won! Thank you God and all those who have fought for change to bring us to where we are now!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by BGreen on June 08, 2018 at 21:56:45 PT
♫ Oh, the times they are a changin' ♫
What a great time to be alive!Bud
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by FoM on June 08, 2018 at 17:44:52 PT
afterburner 
I am so happy for you!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by afterburner on June 08, 2018 at 09:20:21 PT
Canadian Senate Passed Legalization w/ Amendments
Senate votes to pass legalization of recreational pot, amended bill now goes back to House of Commons.
Liberal MPs must now decide which amendments to keep and which to toss before sending bill back to Senate.
The Canadian Press · Posted: Jun 07, 2018 9:12 PM ET | Last Updated: June 7
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/pot-bill-passes-senate-1.4697124Analysis.
The Senate's marijuana debate shows just how much has changed.
A key government bill sent back with 46 amendments? It would have been unthinkable 4 years ago.
Aaron Wherry · CBC News · Posted: Jun 07, 2018 9:41 PM ET | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/senate-marijuana-vote-analysis-1.4696073
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on June 07, 2018 at 18:15:57 PT
It's a long time coming.
The train is about to arrive. When it does it will further effect everything else around it.-0-There will be tweaks that make no sense that will be forced to be addressed, along with it.Example: how a person can not legally cross the Canadian, American border if they have a cannabis infraction, WHEN IT IS LEGAL ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER.Oh Canada.
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