{"id":7870,"date":"2017-11-21T21:16:31","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T21:16:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.denverpost.com?p=2865326&amp;preview_id=2865326"},"modified":"2017-11-21T21:16:31","modified_gmt":"2017-11-21T21:16:31","slug":"a-misguided-crusade-canadas-bill-to-legalize-cannabis-faces-opposition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/a-misguided-crusade-canadas-bill-to-legalize-cannabis-faces-opposition\/","title":{"rendered":"A \u201cmisguided crusade\u201d: Canada\u2019s bill to legalize cannabis faces opposition"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/a-misguided-crusade-canadas-bill-to-legalize-cannabis-faces-opposition\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"large-10 large-centered small-12 columns\">\n<div class=\"entry-meta-date\">Published: Nov 21, 2017, 1:28 pm \u2022 Updated: Nov 21, 2017, 6:50 pm<span class=\"single-comments-link\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"byline\">By <span class=\"author\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/author\/pwashburn\/\" rel=\"author\">Polly Washburn<\/a><\/span><em>, The Cannabist Staff<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The Canadian House of Commons held a spirited debate over the legalization of cannabis Tuesday as the Liberal government presented a second reading of its <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/04\/13\/canada-marijuana-legalization-legislation-unveiled\/77282\/\">Bill C-45<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Marco Mendicino, Justice and Attorney General, presented the government\u2019s report and pressed for the passage of the legislation. He spoke of the \u201cthousands of Canadians\u201d who have been charged, convicted, and gone to jail for \u201csmall amounts of cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCanada is more than ready for a new approach,\u201d said Mendicino.<\/p>\n<p>But not all Canadians are convinced the Liberal\u2019s approach is the right one. Over the course of three hours, Conservative Party members of Parliament questioned Liberal Party representatives on the timing and content of the bill.<\/p>\n<p>Conservative MP Peter Kent of Ontario, referred to the bill as a \u201cwacky campaign promise\u201d and a \u201cmisguided crusade.\u201d The Liberal government is \u201cdetermined to force this bill\u201d on the police and people of Canadian, he said, \u201cwhatever the cost to Canadian society.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kelly McCauley, Conservative from Alberta, criticized the \u201cnonsensical, arbitrary deadline\u201d of July 1. He conjured up the image of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the head of the Liberal Party, joining a Canadian Day party on July 1, 2018, \u201cpulling up his pants to show his marijuana socks\u201d and sparking the \u201cfirst ceremonial doob on Parliament Hill.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Stephanie Kusie, a Conservative from Alberta, called for the House to reject C-45. She noted that the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/09\/12\/canada-marijuana-legalization-police-postpone\/87933\/\">Canadian Association of Chief of Police have asked government<\/a> to extend the implementation date past July 1, 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Kusie reported that there is no reliable roadside measurement for driving under the influence of marijuana. She cited <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/08\/25\/colorado-traffic-fatalities-marijuana-link\/86767\/\">a recent study<\/a>, saying Colorado experienced \u201cdrastic increases in deaths\u201d caused by driving under the influence of cannabis (the authors of the study did not make a causal relationship). She also claimed that places that have legalized cannabis have seen increases in homelessness and crime, and that, \u201cSmoking marijuana doubles the risk of developing schizophrenia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kusie also raised the specter that Canada\u2019s passage of C-45 \u201cmay cause disputes\u201d with its southern neighbor, citing recent incidents of individuals who have been denied entry to the United States after admitting to American border officials that they had used marijuana. She added that by legalizing cannabis, Canada would be in violation of three <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2016\/04\/21\/un-hears-major-differences-on-global-approach-to-drug-use\/52502\/\">United Nations treaties<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu, the Opposition Critic for Health, has proposed an amendment to prohibit individuals from growing cannabis at home. The government report rejected this motion. The legislation allows adults to grow up to four plants at home. Provinces could impose more restrictive grow limits.<\/p>\n<p>At the other end of the spectrum, Green party leader Elizabeth May has proposed removing the limits on distribution of cannabis by individuals. The current wording prohibits adults from giving more than the equivalent of 30 grams of dried cannabis (in whatever form), or a flowering or budding plant, to another adult or minor younger than age 18. For minors, the distribution limit is five grams.<\/p>\n<p>Pierre Paul-Hus, a Conservative from Quebec, argued that the possession limit for young people be zero grams and 21 should be the minimum age to consume, pointing to Colorado as an example. <\/p>\n<p>Treasury Board Secretary Joyce Murray rejected the claim that legalization would increase youth use. She said the law would put into place strict controls and penalties to protect young people. She also cited restrictions on advertising, labeling and packaging.<\/p>\n<p>Murray pointed to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/10\/16\/colorado-marijuana-legalization-study-opioid-deaths-officials-skeptical\/90225\/\">a recent study showing a significant drop in opioid-related deaths<\/a> in states that have legalized cannabis. Cannabis is a \u201csafer, more effective\u201d option than opioids, she said.<\/p>\n<p>Don Davies, an NDP member from British Columbia, called out Liberals for using the opioid crisis as part of their argument to legalize cannabis, but not declaring a health emergency, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/10\/26\/trump-opioid-crisis-public-health-emergency\/90997\/\">as the United States recently has<\/a>. Davies also asked if pardons would be available for the thousands of Canadians who currently have arrest records for marijuana possession.<\/p>\n<p>David Lametti, Secretary of Innovation, Science an Economic Development, assured his fellow legislators that provinces and territories would be able to set limits as they saw fit, beyond those regulated in the act.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/11\/08\/canada-marijuana-taxes-price\/92007\/\">Provinces have already begun<\/a> to dive into these questions, with Quebec announcing it will block home grows, and New Brunswick saying homeowners must lock up their cannabis. Quebec has also sought delaying the start of sales to 2019.<\/p>\n<p>A \u201cfriendly amendment\u201d from the Health committee expands sales to include edibles and concentrates, within one year of the bill\u2019s passage. Those products aren\u2019t included in the current wording of the legislation.<\/p>\n<p>This is the second reading of the bill. There will be a third reading and debate within the next two days, thanks to a measure passed in the first part of Tuesday\u2019s session, limiting the amount of time for debate. The House will likely vote on the bill on Friday or Monday, and if it passes, the Senate will take it up.<\/p>\n<p>The Liberal Party has 181 seats in the House, so if all members support the bill, it will be able to withstand complete opposition from The Conservative Party, which has 96 seats; the New Democratic Party, which has 44 seats; the Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois with its 10 seats; and the two independents and sole Green Party member. <\/p>\n<p>Tuesday afternoon, the Minister of Health Ginette Petitpas Taylor released proposed regulations for legalization, on which the government will take public feedback through January 20.<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-meta-author\">\n<div class=\"authorimage\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/author\/pwashburn\/\" rel=\"author\"><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/a-misguided-crusade-canadas-bill-to-legalize-cannabis-faces-opposition.jpg\" class=\"authormug\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p class=\"author-desc\">Polly joined The Cannabist in December 2016 as a digital producer. She has been creating print, web and video content for a couple of decades. She returned to her home town of Denver in 2012 after living in eleven other cities in four countries, and&#8230;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- .row --> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p>The Canadian House of Commons held a spirited debate over the legalization of cannabis as the Liberal government presented a second reading of Bill C-45. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[146,5898,77,6826,5667,9,6833,5019,1,3,61,1736],"tags":[2724,5902,2655,6828,5673,6835,5022],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7870"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7870\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}