No legal means for youths to get pot

Re: Ashley Robinson’s article (Kids will be able to possess weed under federal marijuana legislation, Sept. 15):

The Government of Canada’s position is clear: youth should not have any amount of cannabis. As Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said, under Bill C-45 there will be no legal means for a young person to obtain recreational cannabis. C-45 will also, for the first time, make it a criminal offence to sell cannabis to a minor and create significant penalties for those who engage youth in related offences.

For small quantities of cannabis of up to five grams, C-45 exempts young persons from criminal prosecution for possessing or sharing. Above that, youth will be subject to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, which emphasizes community-based responses, rehabilitation and reintegration.

Why? For very small amounts of cannabis, there is a better way to deal with youth than subjecting them to the lifelong consequences of a criminal record.

We have been regularly engaging with provinces and territories to encourage them to create administrative offences — a ticketing regime — to prohibit youth from possessing any amount of cannabis, similar to what is now done for alcohol and tobacco. This approach would provide police with the authority to seize cannabis from youth with small amounts.

In tandem, we are also undertaking a broad public education campaign for Canadians of all ages so that they know the risks of consumption and the consequences for breaking the law. Jody Wilson-Raybould, minister of justice and attorney general of Canada