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Book: Not this Time: Canadians, Public Policy, and the Marijuana Question, 1961-1975

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Book: Not this Time: Canadians, Public Policy, and the Marijuana Question, 1961-1975

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Marcel Martel, University of Toronto Press

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Drugs are part of every society, consumed for ritual or religious purposes, for pleasure, to enhance athletic performance, or as a means to relieve pain. Throughout the twentieth century, however, an arbitrary and shifting distinction was made between legal drugs that were prescribed and administered by the medical profession, and illegal drugs that were subject to state control and suppression.

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Article: Current and former marijuana use:preliminary findings of a longitudinalstudy of effects on IQ in young adults

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Article: Current and former marijuana use:preliminary findings of a longitudinalstudy of effects on IQ in young adults

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Article: Editorials, Op-ed Columns Frame
Medical Marijuana Debate

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Article: Editorials, Op-ed Columns Frame
Medical Marijuana Debate

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Book: Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know?

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Book: Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know?

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Caulkins, J., Kilmer, B., Kleiman, M.

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Should marijuana be legalized? The latest Gallup poll reports that exactly half of Americans say "yes"; opinion couldn't be more evenly divided. Marijuana is forbidden by international treaties and by national and local laws across the globe. But those laws are under challenge in several countries.

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Canada aims for pot legalization in 2017

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Canada aims for pot legalization in 2017

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MONTREAL - Canada is moving to legalize pot in 2017, but don't expect it to become a new Amsterdam for Americans hoping to get a legal high just across the northern border.

Canada's Liberal Party government will introduce a law next spring to legalize recreational marijuana, Health Minister Jane Philpott disclosed last week at the United Nations. She did not detail who would be allowed to grow or distribute cannabis products.

"Canada has a lot of options here," said RAND Drug Policy Research Center co-director Beau Kilmer. "You have to pay attention to what's going to happen with the regulation and the taxes. That could really shape what happens in terms of people coming in from other countries. You have to decide whether you want to allow that."

Since most major Canadian cities are within 100 miles of the U.S. border, Canada's legalization could spur border states to enact their own legislation to prevent the exodus of tourism dollars to the north.

Colorado and Washington, which legalized marijuana in 2013, have seen an uptick in tourism since then.

Those states may also act as models for the new legislation.

"It's nice that those experiments are there for us to see what's worked," said Zach Walsh, a professor at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna, who studies cannabis. "We'll learn from those and I think, because we're looking at doing it federally and in a more organized way and maybe with a bit more prep time, I think we'll take what's worked from those models and make our own."

While Canada is the USA's largest trading partner, marijuana is unlikely to become the latest product traded by two countries.

"I don't see the government legalizing the export of cannabis," said Eugene Oscapella, an Ottawa lawyer who specializes in Canadian social policy. "Right now, it's a criminal offense punishable by life imprisonment. They don't need to change that part of the law in order to set up a legal regulatory regime in Canada."

Cannabis is still illegal under U.S. law.

Legalizing marijuana was a major campaign plank for Justin Trudeau, who became prime minister after his Liberal Party won last fall's election. Although polls show a majority of Canadians support legalization, Trudeau's predecessor, Stephen Harper, opposed changing marijuana laws, calling the drug worse than cigarettes.

In 2003, Canada's outgoing prime minister, Jean Chretien, publicly questioned whether marijuana should be decriminalized. The U.S. response was swift: John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said such a move would hurt Canadian-U.S. trade relations.

Times have changed, as public opinion in both countries has become more accepting of legal marijuana.

In addition to Colorado and Washington, Alaska and Oregon have legalized pot, and some cities, such as Portland, Maine, and Washington, D.C., have enacted laws that legalize recreational use of marijuana. Vermont and California have indicated they may legalize the drug in the next few years.

Canada faces no current U.S. pressure to stop legalization, but that could change depending on the outcome of the presidential election. Republican front-runner Donald Trump has vowed to build a wall on the Mexican border to deter the flow of drugs into the United States. While Mexico is the major supplier of marijuana to the USA, that hasn't stopped politicians such as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker from floating the idea of building a wall along the northern border.

Walker, during his now-defunct Republican presidential campaign, said on Meet the Press in August that a wall on the Canadian border is "a legitimate issue to look at."

Trump has dismissed the possibility of a wall along the Canadian border.

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1Sy9Z8D

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Canada aims for pot legalization in 2017

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MONTREAL - Canada is moving to legalize pot in 2017, but don't expect it to become a new Amsterdam for Americans hoping to get a legal high just across the northern border. Canada's Liberal Party government will introduce a law next spring to legalize recreational marijuana, Health Minister Jane Philpott disclosed last week at the United Nations.

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Canada's marijuana legalization plan flouts 3 UN drug conventions

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Canada's marijuana legalization plan flouts 3 UN drug conventions

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'Canada cannot pick and choose which international laws to follow,'

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Federal marijuana legislation to be introduced in spring 2017, Philpott says

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Federal marijuana legislation to be introduced in spring 2017, Philpott says

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Federal legislation to legalize marijuana will be ready in a year, Canada's health minister told the UN at a special session of the General Assembly in New York today.

"We will introduce legislation in spring 2017 that ensures we keep marijuana out of the hands of children and profits out of the hands of criminals," Jane Philpott said in her prepared speech to delegates.

"We will work with law enforcement partners to encourage appropriate and proportionate criminal justice measures. We know it is impossible to arrest our way out of this problem," she said.

Delegates are reviewing the progress and implementation of the UN's 2009 action plan on drugs to assess ongoing challenges in combating the world's drug problems. Three days of meetings will conclude Thursday.

Bill Blair, the parliamentary secretary to the justice minister who serves as Canada's point man on the legalization legislation, is with Philpott in New York.

"It's a great deal of work. It's important to do it right. And so, we're looking at regulations with respect to production, distribution, the retail and consumption of marijuana and we want to make sure that it's based on the best advice from experts." Blair told reporters on his way to the meetings on Tuesday.

The health minister said the government's proposed marijuana policy challenges the status quo, but will enhance the safety of youth.

The federal Liberal Party's election pledge on pot would breach three global treaties on illicit drug use signed by previous Canadian governments.

Canada's plans are contentious for some other UN members.

Philpott said that she is aware states will take different approaches on the matter, but is hopeful they can find common ground to create a comprehensive, collaborative and compassionate drug policy.

Immediate decriminalization?

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair told reporters he believes the legalization policy proposed by the Liberals is just another broken promise. He says the only thing the Liberals have done so far is appoint Bill Blair.

"There are thousands and thousands of mostly young people who will have criminal records for the rest of their lives because (Prime Minister) Justin Trudeau did not respect his promise to legalize marijuana as soon as he took office," he said.

Mulcair said if the Liberal government found the issue too complicated they should immediately decriminalize marijuana and address complex issues like supply later.

"It's a massive waste of time, effort and energy of our entire criminal justice system," he said.

Later, during question period in the House of Commons, Mulcair asked whether Trudeau would at least promise legislation to remove criminal records of Canadians charged before a new law is in place.

In response, Trudeau said simply decriminalizing marijuana does not help the government meet its goal of keeping pot out of the hands of children, but would offer a legal stream of income to criminals selling it.

"The fact of the matter is we've been clear. We believe in legalization and regulation of marijuana because it protects our kids and keeps money out of the pockets of criminal organizations and street gangs," Trudeau told the Commons.

Conservative MP Colin Carrie told the CBC's Susan Lunn that the announcement from health minister Philpott has done nothing but create more chaos surrounding the issue.

"It's in their hands whenever they want to bring it forward, It's unfortunate though that they're causing so much chaos with parents in communities and police forces. At the end of the day what is important to us is about the kids. Mr. Trudeau said he is keeping it out of the hands of kids ... let's get him moving forward on that," he said.

Carrie believes legalization is not necessary.

"If you look at the statistics that are out today, the status quo has been working. Marijuana smoking is down 23 per cent in the last few years. But he's brought this up, he's made it an issue let's see what his plan is," he said.

Cannabis culture demonstrations are underway across the country as pro-marijuana advocates gather in support of legal use on a day known as "4/20."

Philpott told CBC's Rosemary Barton that the announcement was not purposely made on "4/20," but the government capitalized on the opportunity to further the discussion.

"It's a day that we know people are going to be talking about marijuana and when we were aware of that fact we thought it was a great day for us to talk to people around the world about Canada's plans and our comprehensive approach to drug policy, including the legalization of and new regulations for marijuana," said Philpott on CBC News Network's Power & Politics.

Demonstrators, many of them smoking the drug, also gathered on Parliament Hill. Some members of the crowd were greeted and took photos with Mulcair.

Dominion carillonneur Andrea McCrady used her noon concert from the Peace Tower to play arrangements of tunes perhaps inspired by the gathering, including Puff, The Magic Dragon.

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Expect Canada's bill to legalize pot in spring 2017, minister tells UN | CBC News

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Federal legislation to legalize marijuana will be ready in a year, Canada's health minister told the UN at a special session of the General Assembly in New York today. "We will introduce legislation in spring 2017 that ensures we keep marijuana out of the hands of children and profits out of the hands of criminals," Jane Philpott said in her prepared speech to delegates.

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We will legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana.

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We will legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana.

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Canada’s current system of marijuana prohibition does not work.

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Arresting and prosecuting these offenses is expensive for our criminal justice system. It traps too many Canadians in the criminal justice system for minor, non-violent offenses. At the same time, the proceeds from the illegal drug trade support organized crime and greater threats to public safety, like human trafficking and hard drugs.