Province Prepping for Marijuana Legalization
Prince George, B.C.- It was a promise made by the Liberals during the last Federal Election, but the legalization of marijuana has yet to come to fruition and there are still plenty of issues that need to be resolved before it becomes a reality.
B.C.’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Mike Morris says B.C. has been busy preparing the change “We are probably more advanced than other jurisdictions across Canada in my opinion. We’ve had a committee of Assistant deputy Ministers working on this for just about all of 2016.” He says that committee has visited jurisdictions in the U.S. which have already legalized marijuana and there are issues “impaired driving by THC levels is another major issue because it has sky rocketed in those States that have legalized it.”
Morris says the Province is looking at a number of options “We are working with the Federal Task Force, providing them input and seeking some more direction from Cabinet sometime in the next month or so on the position that B.C. should be taking. All in all, I think B.C. is well positioned to follow whatever legislation comes out federally but we don’t even have a hint of what that looks like yet.”
The Federal Government has promised the new legislation will be delivered in the spring of 2017 but when it will be enacted is a different story. Solicitor General Morris says there will have to be a great deal of work done in B.C. to ensure B.C’s legislation mirrors that of the Federal laws. “The legalization of marijuana in B.C. affects over 27 different provincial statutes right now, so there’s a ton of work that needs to be done.”
Morris says in addition to impaired driving , health and illicit crime remain important issues. There is also the tax component as representatives at the recent Union of BC Municipalities conference made it clear they would like a piece of the taxation that may be applied to marijuana sales. “The Municipalities were concerned over getting their fair share of the tax structure” says Morris “From my perspective, and from our Government’s perspective, taxation is not going to be the windfall that a lot of people might think it is. We don’t know what it’s going to look like yet, but we don’t want to tax it so high that it’s going to drive sales to the black market much like tobacco and other areas, so we have to find that balance.”pie is the primary focus illicit crime is another focus and
Comments
I don’t smoke the stuff but make it legal already. It is not going away anytime soon so the government may as well legalize it, regulate it and make it safe for those who do imbibe and make some money off it. Unfortunately like the article alludes to the government will probably tax the crap out of it and most will return or stay with their local back alley drug dealers.
100% AGREE!!
Will it be under the smoking / vaping bylaw the city was looking at the other day?
Cigarette smoke is bad enough, but I am really not looking forward to having that pot smell all over town.
Agreed dan, I have always found that smell offensive and am amazed how much further it carries than the smell of cigarettes. Hopefully it will be treated similarly to liquor where one can’t simply walk around town consuming it. Do it at home or in select establishments. And hey, if you want to be really considerate, bake some brownies instead of smoking the stuff so the rest of us, especially our children, aren’t forced to smell it.
Diesel exhaust is so much better.
only dopes do dope.
only alcoholics drink alcohol… i guess…lol
Do you drink alcohol? Alcohol is a drug.
Well that is one of the good things of using a vap to smoke weed.. since it actually doesnt burn the pot the smell is significantly less. I do agree…some of the stuff absolutely stinks.. anything to negate/deminish the smell is a good thing… I actually find the smell from cigarettes worse..
I remember people referring to the stink of the pulpmill as the smell of money . Once the billions of dollars start flowing into every level of government we will hear the same refrain in regards to the the smell of pot .
Hah, good laugh, billions in tax revenue… billions in sales maybe
Colorado just had a year to date taxes/fees revenue of 97 million, not exactly a cash cow. BC can get more tax dollars into their coffers by not changing the real estate rules
Pot is for potheads. Dope is for dopes. Lets quite trying to make smoking dope a sane thing to do.
Obviously people who smoke a mood altering drug are not satisfied with themselves, and would prefer to see the world through smoke colored glasses.
Wait until we have people driving on the roads after having a shot of whiskey, a tote, and texting.
“Obviously people who smoke a mood altering drug are not satisfied with themselves, and would prefer to see the world through smoke colored glasses.” That’s quite a generalization. So should we say that people who engage in sexual activities are lumped in that same group, as studies have shown that satisfying sex alters their minds & moods. How about sports activities that raise adrenaline levels? Hunting? Driving? How about life in general as most “leisure” activities humans are involved in are a distraction from the harsh realities of life. Only dopes smoke dope? One of my friends smokes regularly to manage pain from a horrific accident that he should not have survived, he is, hands down, one of the most intelligent persons that I know.
People engage in all types of activities for differing reasons, not all of them are cut & dried. People smoke pot for pain reduction, medical reasons & yes for the feelings that they get from it, that doesn’t mean they are dissatisfied with themselves or life, it simply feels good so they do it.
dote44. Nice generalization, and I agree with you insofar as people taking marijuana for medical purposes, however that is not really the issue is it.
The majority of people who smoke dope do so because it is a mind altering drug. People consume alcohol for the same reasons.
So lets not BS the troops. We will soon have people driving vehicles who are pot smokers, drinkers, texters, etc; This will not make for safe roads, which we all know are already dangerous. As the article states, impaired driving because of legalized drugs has skyrocketed in those states that have legalized marijuana.
We now have the Governments of Canada involved in what used to be illegal areas. Ie; Alcohol, drugs, gambling. How far away can prostitution be.
Perhaps we can have a pot smoking, wine swilling, texting, pimp operating a whore house out of the back seat of his car.
Relax mate. Smoking pot does less damage to your body than everyday legal substances like caffeine, salt and sugar. There are a lot of big businesses doing R&D into the impaired driving issue. Law enforcement will have new tools sooner than later. I’m not going to address your ignorant comment lumping pot smokers in with pimps and prostitues. I will say this: if your doctor prescribes Advil, it’s medicine, right? If he doesn’t, and you take Advil for a self-diagnosed headache, is it still medicine? My point is, two guys passing a joint back and forth… one has a prescription, one doesn’t… does it stop being medicine when the patient passes it to his buddy?
Palopu, marijuana has been around for a very long time, legalizing it’s use will not increase usage meaningfully. I agree that driving while under the influence of anything is wrong, however stoned drivers are not suddenly going to become a new phenomenon, it also has been around for a very long time.
No, medical marijuana is not the main issue but it is part of it, look how long & hard of a fight it was for that. The main issue is people who enjoy using pot are subjugated to stupid & outdated laws. Our’s & America’s judicial system is flooded with people facing simple possession charges, a huge waste of tax dollars, police & court time is devoted to this issue. Time for that to end, time to stop wasting lives & billions of dollars on such a benign issue. Believe it or not people actually partake in using alcohol or pot because they enjoy it, they enjoy the taste of alcohol, they enjoy the feeling of being stoned. Yes, as in anything, there are & will be abusers, that’s simply human nature.
What I wrote was not a generalization, I meant it. People do things in life for a variety of reasons, sex, drugs, sports, music, you name it. Life isn’t or shouldn’t be about suffering, we have emotions & feelings for a reason, to enjoy life. If someone smokes pot to help them enjoy life, who are we to judge? By that judgement we can paint any activity that helps us to enjoy our lives as useless & meaningless.
ht tps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/18/colorado-marijuana-law-report-adult-usage-increases-not-kids
Do you drink alcohol?
Sounds like a real money maker. I’m in 😜
Pot is for potheads. Dope is for dopes. Lets quite trying to make smoking dope a sane thing to do.
Obviously people who smoke a mood altering drug are not satisfied with themselves, and would prefer to see the world through smoke colored glasses.
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I don’t do drugs and I don’t consume alcohol with any degree of regularity. Let’s be honest though, human beings have been consuming mind altering substances for cultural and religious purposes for thousands of years. It’s not going to stop, it’s something that many people do and enjoy doing. Heck, one could make an argument that it’s a human trait.
I think a little perspective would help keep this debate more productive.
One ,could make the argument that it’s a human trait . Except for the fact that many other species on earth self medicate for health and fun . Our enjoyment of fermented fruit likely began long before we fell out of the trees .
Not sure if they are doing it in a conscious manner, but point taken. It further shows that it’s essentially a natural practise.
So if I understand you correctly people should be able to smoke, and drink what they chose, however at the same time we expect them to be responsible.
So why the huge rise in impaired driving once pot was legalized in some states.
Perhaps you would condone your surgeon, or airline pilot, or judge to use pot in a (limited manner) while performing their duties, and if not why not.
“Perhaps you would condone your surgeon, or airline pilot, or judge to use pot in a (limited manner) while performing their duties, and if not why not.” Not, for quite obvious reasons. Like the good book says, there is a time & place for everything.
“So if I understand you correctly people should be able to smoke, and drink what they chose, however at the same time we expect them to be responsible.” Yes, tens of millions of people worldwide use alcohol & pot responsibly. Why should we expect & demand anything different. Again, there are & will always be abusers to any system.
Of course nobody would condone that. In those situations, their impairment could have direct negative consequences on other people. In other situations, it wouldn’t. It’s a very simple distinction and that’s why we have laws to govern what is acceptable in certain cicumstances and what isn’t.
I think that we can all agree that going for a smoke break, has an entirely different meaning once the use of marijuana is legal.
What’s to stop employee’s from stepping outside to smoke a joint??
What’s to stop most people from getting drunk during their lunch break? Maybe a sense of responsibility and having good judgement?
Then again, maybe some people don’t exhibit that level of control and they will get high while in the job. Maybe people do it now with pot, prescription drugs or alcohol. What’s the difference?
Legalizing marijuana will take a huge revenue stream away from organized crime and street gangs. I really like that side of the equation, as for any negative impacts, I really can’t see any, except for an a possible increase in impaired driving. However, new saliva based roadside drug testing is happening across Canada as we speak.
ht tp://tinyurl.com/zxnrpo6
Ironic that the BC NDP has been calling for the legalization of marijuana for years, and now it is a Lib/Con government that is preparing for it. Times they are a changing, and I am loving it!
Pot dispensary robbed at gunpoint in van this week got away with 5 pounds of pot,some oil and a couple of thousand in cash. Another ndp plan down the drain as they would do dick to the punks with the guns either.
No it won’t unfortunately. They will just sell their product at a competitive price, which is about what it sells for now so no big whoop for them. In Colorado dispensaries are having issues with people selling pot outside their stores and have to chase them away as they are cutting into the dispensary bottom line. Colorado is worried they are losing what they think is at least a third if not more of the revenue they should be getting from pot sales to illegal grows/sell operations.
You really think the police will no longer have to worry about the illegal drug trade?
ht tp://www.thecannabist.co/2016/04/14/colorado-marijuana-raids-dozens-front-range-homes-warehouses-targeted/51915/
The difference is simple. If you use illegal drugs while working you could be charged with an offence and perhaps fired. If you are outside legally smoking a drug, then it is legal. Highly unlikely that you would be fired for doing something legal.
So how do we determine when a employee is stoned, and if we do determine he/she is what action can we take.?? Let there be no doubt there is safety issue here.
Could you tell if someone had a few shots of vodka with lunch before returning to work.
Why do you think it will be legal to smoke pot on your coffee break? Can you drink a beer standing on the sidewalk during your coffee break? Can you operate machinery while under the influence of legally obtained prescription drugs?
The problems you are identifying can already exist. We simply need to find a way to ensure that pot is managed the same way that others drugs and alcohol currently are.
Coffee breaks are universally accepted, but caffeine is the worlds most widely consumed psychoactive drug. Certainly wouldn’t want my co-workers jacked up on red-bull either. :)
In the industry I work in, if you are caught under the influence of alcohol or drugs,Mitch is grounds for immediate dismissal. As well, in the trade I work in, the same as well as losing your ticket. Palopu, most places of employment would discipline up to the point of dismissal if an employee was caught under the influence. You’re making a argument for the sake of argument because you are against pot, common sense would prevail in most cases.
Mitch = it ??? Stupid spell check.
they smell like a skunk
In the oil and gas industry there is mandatory and random drug testing and in many other industries. Should be applied to all jobs.
Do you mean Presidential candidates too ? (your boy tRump just got booed at the Al Smith dinner)
Mandatory drug testing is fine, however how does it work if the **drug** you are taking is legal???
If you are smoking pot on a regular basis, then it will be in your system 24/7 testing will only confirm that you have been smoking, so I’m guessing at some point the employer will have to make a determination as to whether or not the drug is effecting your ability to work. This is much easier said than done.
You mean legal like alcohol ? As NMG eluded to, there will still be rules and parameters to follow.
Marijauna use in the workplace up 6.2% since 2013.
In those states where it has been legalized for recreational use it is up.
1. Washington 23%
2. Colorado 20%.
Many people are getting fired for marijuana use, even though it was used prior to coming to work.
Many court battles taking place, and many employers concerned about the rise in use.
So, so much for responsibility.
In Alaska where recreational use is legal, it is illegal to smoke the pot in public. Perhaps that the direction we should be heading.
I wonder if the process for the legalization of alcohol was as ridiculous as the process of legalizing pot has been up to this point?
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