Ottawa should move quickly on minor pot convictions
Today’s the day. It is no longer illegal for adults to consume recreational cannabis in Canada.
Will there be pot parties in the streets?
Will doobies be on display in Hess Village?
We doubt it. And if they are, the consumers can expect to face charges, because there are still few places it is legal to indulge. In fact, all indications are this historic day should pass quietly, and that’s for the best.
In Ontario, the only way you can buy legal pot is through the mail from regulated producers. That’s just fine, too. Retail sales, if they’re allowed at all by Hamilton and Burlington city councils, are a thorny matter requiring thoughtful discussion and handling. In short, there’s no rush.
It’s worth reminding ourselves of why Justin Trudeau did this to begin with — to reduce criminal involvement, to control quality and safety, to get more control over who has access to pot, to stop clogging the courts with pointless simple possession charges.
Oh, and to collect taxes on legal pot, although we never heard him mention that particular justification.
Legalizing made sense then and it does now. Trudeau was elected with a mandate, and he’s right to deliver on it. Is the timing right? Too soon to say.
Are there still too many outstanding questions and uncertainties around legal cannabis?
In our view, yes, but not everyone agrees.
Trudeau has a lot on the line here. If legalization goes off the rails for some reason, he’ll be blamed, and that’s fair.
It was, after all, a centrepiece of his campaign platform.
On Day 1, there’s one thing the government should actually get busy on.
As we write this, about 500,000 Canadians are dragging around criminal records for simple possession of illegal marijuana. Simple possession, as in small amounts (typically less than 30 grams) for personal use.
It’s the classic story of the teen with two joints who gets arrested outside a concert. Writ large.
But that record is no small thing. It can stand in the way of getting a job. It can preclude people from crossing the border. It can stop them from volunteering or working with kids. The consequences are hugely out of step with the offence. That was true when pot was illegal, and it’s even more true now that it’s legal.
These aren’t drug traffickers, and no one is suggesting records of that sort should be expunged. But it makes sense for the government to move quickly to pardon Canadians who have simple possession records.
They are, in effect, suffering ongoing punishment, often for something they did decades ago, for a matter that is no longer illegal. That makes no sense, nor is it fair.
Not long ago Ottawa instituted a system where people convicted of consensual sexual activity with samesex partners, when such acts were illegal, could fill out a simple form to speed up the process of obtaining a criminal pardon.
Wisely, the government appears to agree and today is indicating it will take the appropriate steps, although details remain unclear. Still, that is good news.
These aren’t drug traffickers, and no one is suggesting records of that sort should be expunged. But it makes sense for the government to move quickly to pardon Canadians who have simple possession records.