Recreational pot may not be available by July
OTTAWA• Recreational marijuana won’t be available for sale until months after it is legalized in July, the federal health minister suggested on Tuesday.
The Liberal government insists it’s on track to legalize pot in July — but that will require co- operation from senators who don’t appear to be in any hurry to pass the legislation.
Three federal ministers — Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Justice Minister Jody Wilson- Raybould and Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale — made a rare appearance in the Senate, where they fielded questions from senators on Bill C-45.
Petitpas Taylor acknowledged that some provinces, which are responsible for actually selling marijuana, complain they do not have enough time.
“They told us they need eight to 12 weeks following ( adoption of the law) for preparatory activities to occur, such as preparatory movement of product from licensed producers to distribution and retail outlets,” Petitpas Taylor told the Senate.
That would mean t he Senate would have to pass the bill by no later than the end of May, if the legislation is to go into effect by the end of July.
Conservative Senate leader Larry Smith said his senators won’t be obstructionist, but they will insist on rigorous and thorough examination of the bill.
He also argued that the government is rushing to legalize marijuana and should take more time to, among other things, launch an intensive public education campaign on the negative impact of cannabis use on young, developing brains.
Concerns about the legislation are being heard across the border, too.
U. S. officials have been quietly raising questions about whether legalizing marijuana might slow traffic flow between Canada and the United States.
The issue has come up in phone calls between highlevel officials and again in passing this week during a first face- to- face encounter between Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and his U. S. counterpart, Homel and Sec urity Secre t ar y Kirstjen Nielsen.
It hasn’t been contentious, he said.
“The only thing they say is, ‘ Will this cause lineups?’ ” Goodale said in an interview.
“And our answer is: ‘ Not unless you change your procedures. And there’s no reason for you to change your procedures.’ Because the law with respect to the border hasn’t changed one iota.”
He said it came up briefly on the tail end of the meeting with Nielsen and in past phone conversations.
Federal officials say there has been no attempt to pressure Canada — that the U. S. has expressed respect for Canada’s sovereign decisions.
It’s a far cry from the conversation of the early 2000s.
At that time, the Bush administration strenuously argued against marijuana decriminalization.
And in the wake of the 9-11 attacks, public figures in both countries expressed alarm over anything that might cause additional border checks and worsen delays for cargo shipments.
Now the U. S. has nine states with legal marijuana and numerous others that have decriminalized it.
The border is more sophisticated.
And the Canadian view is that there’s no reason for traffic snags — because it’s just as illegal to transport pot across the border as it ever was.
“They do ( raise it). Because they know the Canadian l aw is changing ,” Goodale said.
“They’re saying they don’t anticipate any great change. But I think there is some concern that Canadian law is changing, and does that cause them to behave in a different way. The answer should be no.”
Goodale said the Canadian government also intends to work on public awareness of the rules — and the legal risks of bringing drugs to the U. S. border: “We’ ll make sure that the rules are clear,” he said.