Marijuana legalization process takes 1st steps
OTTAWA — The federal government is steering Canada into a bold and risky social experiment with proposed new laws legalizing recreational marijuana for those aged 18 and older — and stringent new criminal sanctions for those who break them.
The bundle of bills tabled Thursday in the House of Commons marks the start of a lengthy process which, once complete in July 2018, will usher in a dramatic cultural change, its ramifications reaching into nearly every aspect of Canadian society.
Since the 2015 election campaign, the Liberals have couched their push to legalize pot in a counterintuitive message: that it is the single best way to keep the drug out of the hands of impressionable and still-developing children.
The long-standing prohibition on pot in Canada has been an “abject failure,” with police forces spending upwards of $3 billion a year trying to stamp out cannabis use among some of the heaviest users in the western world, said Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.
Criminals on the black market are the ones profiting from the current system, to the tune of anywhere from $7 billion to $8 billion a year, Goodale said.
Bill Blair, the ex-Toronto police chief turned Liberal MP, said the objective is not to promote the use of pot, but to allow its safe, socially responsible use through the mechanism of legislation and strict regulation.
Another objective that became clear Thursday: impose significantly more rigid laws to combat impaired driving in all its forms, be it alcohol or drugs.
Driving under the influence is a major contributor to deadly road crashes in Canada, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said, calling young impaired people the single largest group of drivers killed in motor vehicle accidents in Canada.
The legislation, once passed, would allow police to use what she called “oral fluid screening devices” to check for marijuana impairment, while also creating brand new driving offences for those caught driving while impaired by pot.
Ottawa is leaving it up to the provincial and territorial governments to prescribe rules for retail environments, including whether marijuana can be sold alongside alcohol, as well as to properly regulate and distribute the drug.