By Jon Hiltz

 

Thousands of Canadians are submitting their thoughts to the government on how marijuana reform should look when it is unveiled in the spring of 2017. The online portal set up by the feds to receive these submissions has seen a steady flow of thoughts and suggestions since being going live on June 30th.

In an interview with the Globe & Mail, marijuana task force member Dr. Mark Ware mentioned over 20,000 submissions have come in so far from across the country. Dr. Ware is one of the nine ‘experts’ handpicked by the Trudeau government to create a legal framework for pot to be sold in retail stores and perhaps elsewhere. Ware went on to add that it will be a “fascinating journey in understanding a different aspect of cannabis regulation than the medical model.”

Dr. Ware was raised in Jamaica and is considered to be an expert on cannabis for pain management. He worked at a clinic in the 1990’s on the island nation known for its great ganja, and many of his patients were using pot to treat the pain caused by sickle cell anemia.

He does not believe that medical marijuana is a “panacea” that cures all illnesses, but in his many studies of cannabis, Dr. Ware clearly sees its uses. Further to that, he has concluded that health effects related to the regular consumption of pot are not a cause for alarm.

Another member of the task force is Dr. Catherine Zahn, who is the President of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). She had some insight into the discussions the group will be having over the coming months.

One sizeable discussion is of course the minimum age requirement and if that decision should be federal or provincial. Another topic that is garnering attention is the possible restrictions on THC levels and controls on concentrates. She also indicated that the task force is speaking with various contacts around the world that have been involved with legalization efforts to gain insights from the “pros and cons” of their experiences.

Now that the cannabis community has had a chance to look at the portal for cannabis reform, they’ve had the opportunity to reflect on the government’s point of view and what the feds want to know from Canadians.

One such Canadian who has read the document in full but not yet submitted her ideas is Lisa Campbell, the Chairwoman for the Toronto Chapter of Women Grow. She had this to say in an interview with Marijuana.com. “The task force on cannabis is discouraging for some, and hopeful for others. Some have said that the online consultation is hard to use on purpose, but the position paper published by the task force is a starting point of a much longer process.”

Lisa added that things look hopeful for lounges and other cannabis social venues. “The paper states that the system may need to be pragmatic to respond to the demand for venues to consume marijuana outside the home, in order to avoid proliferation of consumption in all public spaces.”

Lisa also believes the biggest issues ahead will be determining a reasonable age limit. “It will be a huge debate,” and of course the dispensary discussion is always the hot potato on the table. “[That] will probably be up to the provinces, but on a national level we need to advocate for things like cannabis concentrates as the paper discusses limiting THC levels in both flowers and extracts.”

Lisa reiterates the importance of all Canadians interested in marijuana reform, to go to the portal and voice your expert opinion. “However the government decides to regulate recreational cannabis, now is the time to read the discussion paper and have your say!”