By Jon Hiltz

 

On June 30th at 10:30 am EST, it may as well have been the Avengers taking the stage at the National Press Theater in Ottawa. The media and the public waited for the significant update on the legalization of marijuana in Canada.

And an update there truly was — the establishment of a task force made of nine “experts.” Together this team will be responsible for ushering the great white north into a new era where cannabis enthusiasts will be able to buy their products in sanctioned stores as opposed to black-market parking lots.

This group of nine will be advising the government and creating a framework for production, distribution, laws, age limits, packaging guidelines, and everything else required to repatriate this long-suffering plant back into everyday society.

Further evidence that this meeting was not merely a PR stunt to appease the voters who elected Trudeau on his marijuana platform, a deadline for the task force to report back to the federal government has been set for November of 2016. Considering typical Government-action from a G7 country, five months is a near light speed pace.

In addition to researching and reporting back to the feds, the task force is asking Canadians to take part in the process through the Government of Canada’s website portal.

The introduction on this portal talks about the Canadian Government’s commitment to legalizing and regulating marijuana and explains that thousands of Canadians are currently locked away for nonviolent drug offenses. It also explains that organized crime is reaping billions of dollars a year in Canada from marijuana sales and that most Canadians believe marijuana possession should not be subject to criminal sanctions.

To cannabis enthusiasts, this may feel like the perfect moment to say “duh no kidding,” but for a federal government to say this after so many years of propaganda and outright denial of these facts is quite significant.

The portal then goes on to define what the new system will need to outline, including how much pot an individual may possess at one time, which likely means the government is still planning on tracking marijuana to stamp out black market dealers. It also mentions strict guidelines for the production of cannabis in regards to quality, safety, and potency.

An interesting observation from one part of the document is mentioned in the “minimizing harms of use” section. “Early experiences of Colorado and Washington State suggest very strongly that the Government should take steps to avoid the commercialization of legalized marijuana, including the active promoting and marketing of marijuana, leading to widespread use.” This appears to be an early attempt to stop marijuana promos from ever resembling the once endless parade of tobacco and liquor ads that dominated advertising media in previous decades.

The government is also asking Canadians if they believe that the minimum age requirement to buy marijuana should be the same across the country. Currently, the legal age limit for alcohol is 19 in most Provinces but 18 in Manitoba, Quebec, and Alberta.

The most hotly debated portion in the legalization process has been the issue of accessibility. This, of course, refers to the “mom and pop” dispensaries that are opening up across the country and if the landscape will include that type of business model or a government-organized structure designated to sell marijuana products.

The section for this part of the government document is predictable and expected, where they spew a full page love fest on how fantastic the current mail-order system is, all the while implying that the storefront dispensary option is a dangerous one because it will further normalize marijuana and promote its use to Canada’s youth — something we have not seen in places like Colorado.

Having said that, this part of the government’s policy is not completely against the idea of dispensaries, and they do point out possible options they are considering in their own words:

Phased-in approach to distribution: In the initial stages of legalizing marijuana, only allowing a proven system of distribution (e.g., through the mail, as is currently done in the medical marijuana regime) could minimize the risks of uncontrolled/illegal retail sales outlined above. This system could enable access for adults while using caution in taking a step that may inadvertently put youth at increased risk.

Storefronts: On the other hand, allowing for some ability for the sale of marijuana to occur in a legal, regulated retail environment may be required in order to provide an alternative to the current illegal sellers that exist in certain Canadian cities. Ensuring that the marijuana sold in such establishments comes from a legal source would be critical.

Local choice: Alternatively, decisions on appropriate distribution mechanisms could be left to provincial and territorial governments to determine the best approach based on their unique circumstances. This scenario could result in different models being adopted across the country.

This, of course, could mean that all the “unlicensed dispensaries” as they are currently referred to by the authorities, could potentially become legit if they walk across the hot coals of restrictions and regulations the government will outline in the coming months.

Marijuana.com asked activist and cannabis legend Jodie Emery specifically on her thoughts in regards to the government’s ongoing slander of the dispensaries, and she had this to say. “Dispensaries do no harm, and they are supported by the public, which is why they are so successful. [They] have used peaceful civil disobedience to change the marijuana laws in this country and to help further legalization. It’s wrong to exclude and raid them as legalization policies are being created.”

Whatever happens on this, only time and the opinions of Canadians will tell. After the press announcement ended and the Avengers exited the stage, Canada is now left with some of the best homework it will ever be asked to complete. Over the coming months, citizens will pour their views into this questionnaire like molten metal and out will come solidified gold, in the form of a comprehensive and legal recreational marijuana system.