By Allan Hewitson
As the marijuana legalization debate drags on across Canada, in discussions with friends, I often get asked if I care and then why I am so adamantly against the federal Liberal government decision.
My general answer is that I oppose the move because I have been a lifelong non-smoker and that I believe the legalization of recreational marijuana (especially among younger people) will provide an unnecessary incentive to give a new boost to the popularity of smoking.
An argument I don’t accept, but which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau always uses, is that the government is working hard to ensure the drug does not easily get into the hands of young people – particularly through criminal suppliers.
However, he has left that problem pretty well up to the provinces. In British Columbia, pot for private recreational use (apparently readily available to almost anyone who wants it now, and for many years, from presumably illegal sources) will now only come through BCLC outlets, or for medical use with a prescription.
Other provinces have opted for private outlets to handle distribution, including specialty stores which already exist and supply a wide range paraphernalia designed for use with the drug. These places have skipped along on the fringes of illegal pot for years.
OK – I do acknowledge there’s nothing I can do or say that is going to prevent the legalization of recreational pot in Canada. When I was in Vancouver on the weekend of Dec. 2 and 3, pot in various smokeable or edible forms, was for sale readily in a bunch of kiosks near the open air skating rink downtown. Police were present but did not seem to be interfering with business that I could see.
I remain equally certain that, as with alcohol, practically the only place under-aged individuals in B.C. will NOT be able to specifically buy pot (I hate the word, but it’s easier to write than cannabis or marijuana) will be BCLC stores, unless you have a passable phony ID. Friends, older and bolder siblings, can always be found to supply a case of beer to the underage.
Really, if the police do not already have enough to do with controlling an effective and very successful illegal pot market across Canada, they will now shoulder the responsibility of identifying drug-impacted driving – with yet another hazardous legal product.
Yes they do that now, obviously, but there is no “breathalyzer” as such that has been accepted by the law courts to ascertain a conviction for a driving infraction for driving after overuse of marijuana. There’s no .08 around yet.
Doubtless, we will see how it all this plays out in the coming months between now and the legalization date – provided law enforcement is unsuccessful in convincing government to delay the start-up in July of this year.
However, there’s not much specific information on just exactly how this will happen.
The fact remains that since 1997, public opinion polls have found that an increasing majority of Canadians agree with the statement, “Smoking marijuana should not be a criminal offence”.
A June 2016 national poll conducted by Nanos Research indicated that 7 in 10 Canadians favour legalization.
We are shaping up for a lot more controversy, however.
By Christmas last year five of Canada’s 10 provinces had come forward with frameworks for retail pot sales.
Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick will permit cannabis sales to be run by provincial government-owned entities.
Two of the western provinces, Manitoba and Alberta, have said they plan to provide licenses to private retailers.
The federal government set the minimum legal age for buying marijuana at 18, but the provinces can raise that if they wish. Ontario, Canada’s most populous province has set a legal age at 19.
The federal government’s proposed law also permits adult Canadians to grow up to four marijuana plants at home for personal use. Quebec, however, won’t allow residents of the province to…“grow their own…”
The most urgent need appears to be more commonality for regulations around impaired driving and bringing in a roadside saliva test to check for drug impairment.
There are also numerous other issues.
For example, many work places do not seem to mind some employees having a beer or glass of wine at a business lunch, but there’s little indication that these same employers will be happy with an after-lunch toke.
Or a puff of pot during a work break?
To get back to my original concern – governments, municipalities, business and industry representatives have literally spent millions of dollars in banning tobacco advertising and promotion as well as in creating widespread acceptance of smoke free atmospheres.
Presumably if these rules extend to cigars, electronic cigarettes and other products, pot is already covered.
But will there be new legal challenges? I have little doubt that there will be.
Smoking truck drivers can be seen everywhere – but add marijuana to the picture and then what?
Going to be an interesting six months!
ahewitson@telus.net