Canadian Politics Redux

Thirty Bills Unpaid

I'm waiting to see how this all plays out before pulling my hair out.

As much as it is very sporadic or chaotic at the moment... I still see it as a step in the right direction.

PJ_Soul

Thirty Bills Unpaid said:

I'm waiting to see how this all plays out before pulling my hair out.

As much as it is very sporadic or chaotic at the moment... I still see it as a step in the right direction.

Absolutely. Some people have no patience. Take it easy people - just wait and see how it goes. It's going to take a few years before any of us can present any complaints that are valid in the long term.

Drowned Out

PJ_Soul said:

Drowned Out said:

This 'legalization' is a joke.  I don't see it as 'learn by doing', I see it as 'ensure we hand a multi-billion dollar industry over to our friends and lobbyists'. How many new laws have been created in the legalization process?  Varies by province, but something like 30?  
Public intoxication penalties that make drunk in public fines look benign.  
Intoxicated driving laws that will make it virtually impossible for any regular user or medicinal patient to drive legally.  
Possession charges that carry increased penalties. 
A $5k fine in BC for having your plants visible to your neighbors.
Zero input or participation from the people who fought for legalization - craft growers completely shut out.
Big green now lobbying to ban outdoor grows - doing everything in their power to consolidate and minimize competition before legalization even begins.... 
Watching all these former cops and politicians and others who contributed to prohibition, including a family member of mine that always looked down on me, making asshole comments about cannabis consumers, get rich on the 'green rush' is a slap in the face.  
Knew the libs would fuck this up.  So frustrating.  

I don't understand how you're blaming the feds when everything you're talking about is determined by each province. Much of what you're complaining about is either not the case in my province, or hasn't been determined yet at all.

True that it's not (just) the feds, shouldn't have said that.  But according to this, Bill 30 in BC passed before the long weekend, which contains a lot of the things I mentioned:

Hemp Herbals Compassion Society

Read deeper into this problem in my latest for Hemp Herbals News: A War on Cannabis is Coming to British Columbia: https://hempherbals.ca/…/a-war-on-cannabis-is-coming-to-br…/

UPDATE SATURDAY MAY 19: BC's awful new anti-legalization law has passed 3rd reading in the Legislature and now only needs Royal Assent. It's a done deal. This piece of garbage legislation was rushed through before a long-weekend. The authoritarian and hyper-restrictive clauses received no criticism from the opposition parties. What a disgrace.
LINK TO LEGISLATION: https://www.leg.bc.ca/…/3rd-ses…/bills/first-reading/gov30-1

BILL 30 – 2018
#CANNABIS CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT

Public Intoxication with Cannabis
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine.
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine.

Driving While "Intoxicated by THC"
90-day Driving Ban issued without a warrant based on the testimony of a "Trained Drug Recognition Officer"-- an RCMP member.

Possession Over Legal Limit (30 grams)
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine

Compare to Regulations for Alcohol
Public Alcohol intoxication is not an offence of the Criminal Code of Canada, only a violation under the Provincial Liquor Control and Licensing Act which carries no jail time.

A conviction does not result in a criminal record. 
*Alcohol is responsible for 1.9% of deaths in Canada [4] 
Costs related to alcohol in Canada equalled approximately $14.6 billion in 2002.

New Sweeping Powers For Police
Officers can arrest without a warrant on suspicion of intoxication. Charges can be laid after a "trained drug recognition" (ie, an RCMP officer) decides you are intoxicated. No breath or blood test is necessary.

A nation-wide bait-and-switch
When the Province is adding more Cannabis-related crimes, including jail-time for the most minor non-violent offences, can we even call this "legalization"?

Sources: 
[1] BILL 30 – 2018
CANNABIS CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT

[2] OFFENCE ACT
[RSBC 1996] CHAPTER 338

[3] LIQUOR CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT
[SBC 2015] CHAPTER 19

[4] The Chief Public Health Officer's Report on the State of Public Health in Canada, 2015: Alcohol Consumption in Canada

PJ_Soul

Patience buddy. These are the just the first steps, and such these things are to be expected. They do it to shut up the anti-weed contingent. In a few years most of that shit will change anyway - there is already intent to readdress all the laws that are being made now after a few years so that they can refine it all. I'm really not concerned. But FWIW, some of these are just fine with me. Especially the possession over 30 grams thing. Who the fuck needs more than 30 grams of weed at one time?? To me that screams "blackmarket sales".

As for the public intoxication thing... Baaahahahahaha. I am not worried about that at all. Nobody is going to get thrown in jail for being high in BC,
And I agree with the driving thing, although recognize that determining intoxication is going to be difficult there.... Time will tell how that works out. I am confident that it will.

dignin

Drowned Out said:

PJ_Soul said:

Drowned Out said:

This 'legalization' is a joke.  I don't see it as 'learn by doing', I see it as 'ensure we hand a multi-billion dollar industry over to our friends and lobbyists'. How many new laws have been created in the legalization process?  Varies by province, but something like 30?  
Public intoxication penalties that make drunk in public fines look benign.  
Intoxicated driving laws that will make it virtually impossible for any regular user or medicinal patient to drive legally.  
Possession charges that carry increased penalties. 
A $5k fine in BC for having your plants visible to your neighbors.
Zero input or participation from the people who fought for legalization - craft growers completely shut out.
Big green now lobbying to ban outdoor grows - doing everything in their power to consolidate and minimize competition before legalization even begins.... 
Watching all these former cops and politicians and others who contributed to prohibition, including a family member of mine that always looked down on me, making asshole comments about cannabis consumers, get rich on the 'green rush' is a slap in the face.  
Knew the libs would fuck this up.  So frustrating.  

I don't understand how you're blaming the feds when everything you're talking about is determined by each province. Much of what you're complaining about is either not the case in my province, or hasn't been determined yet at all.

True that it's not (just) the feds, shouldn't have said that.  But according to this, Bill 30 in BC passed before the long weekend, which contains a lot of the things I mentioned:

Hemp Herbals Compassion Society

Read deeper into this problem in my latest for Hemp Herbals News: A War on Cannabis is Coming to British Columbia: https://hempherbals.ca/…/a-war-on-cannabis-is-coming-to-br…/

UPDATE SATURDAY MAY 19: BC's awful new anti-legalization law has passed 3rd reading in the Legislature and now only needs Royal Assent. It's a done deal. This piece of garbage legislation was rushed through before a long-weekend. The authoritarian and hyper-restrictive clauses received no criticism from the opposition parties. What a disgrace.
LINK TO LEGISLATION: https://www.leg.bc.ca/…/3rd-ses…/bills/first-reading/gov30-1

BILL 30 – 2018
#CANNABIS CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT

Public Intoxication with Cannabis
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine.
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine.

Driving While "Intoxicated by THC"
90-day Driving Ban issued without a warrant based on the testimony of a "Trained Drug Recognition Officer"-- an RCMP member.

Possession Over Legal Limit (30 grams)
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine

Compare to Regulations for Alcohol
Public Alcohol intoxication is not an offence of the Criminal Code of Canada, only a violation under the Provincial Liquor Control and Licensing Act which carries no jail time.

A conviction does not result in a criminal record. 
*Alcohol is responsible for 1.9% of deaths in Canada [4] 
Costs related to alcohol in Canada equalled approximately $14.6 billion in 2002.

New Sweeping Powers For Police
Officers can arrest without a warrant on suspicion of intoxication. Charges can be laid after a "trained drug recognition" (ie, an RCMP officer) decides you are intoxicated. No breath or blood test is necessary.

A nation-wide bait-and-switch
When the Province is adding more Cannabis-related crimes, including jail-time for the most minor non-violent offences, can we even call this "legalization"?

Sources: 
[1] BILL 30 – 2018
CANNABIS CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT

[2] OFFENCE ACT
[RSBC 1996] CHAPTER 338

[3] LIQUOR CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT
[SBC 2015] CHAPTER 19

[4] The Chief Public Health Officer's Report on the State of Public Health in Canada, 2015: Alcohol Consumption in Canada

Public Intoxication with Cannabis
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine.
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine.


What the fuck is this bullshit? Surely this can't be true.

Edit: 
Yup, this is nuts.
https://hempherbals.ca/2018/05/17/a-war-on-cannabis-is-coming-to-british-columbia/

Second edit: Somehow I missed the link in your initial post and I just shared the exact same one, doh.

PJ_Soul

dignin said:

Drowned Out said:

PJ_Soul said:

Drowned Out said:

This 'legalization' is a joke.  I don't see it as 'learn by doing', I see it as 'ensure we hand a multi-billion dollar industry over to our friends and lobbyists'. How many new laws have been created in the legalization process?  Varies by province, but something like 30?  
Public intoxication penalties that make drunk in public fines look benign.  
Intoxicated driving laws that will make it virtually impossible for any regular user or medicinal patient to drive legally.  
Possession charges that carry increased penalties. 
A $5k fine in BC for having your plants visible to your neighbors.
Zero input or participation from the people who fought for legalization - craft growers completely shut out.
Big green now lobbying to ban outdoor grows - doing everything in their power to consolidate and minimize competition before legalization even begins.... 
Watching all these former cops and politicians and others who contributed to prohibition, including a family member of mine that always looked down on me, making asshole comments about cannabis consumers, get rich on the 'green rush' is a slap in the face.  
Knew the libs would fuck this up.  So frustrating.  

I don't understand how you're blaming the feds when everything you're talking about is determined by each province. Much of what you're complaining about is either not the case in my province, or hasn't been determined yet at all.

True that it's not (just) the feds, shouldn't have said that.  But according to this, Bill 30 in BC passed before the long weekend, which contains a lot of the things I mentioned:

Hemp Herbals Compassion Society

Read deeper into this problem in my latest for Hemp Herbals News: A War on Cannabis is Coming to British Columbia: https://hempherbals.ca/…/a-war-on-cannabis-is-coming-to-br…/

UPDATE SATURDAY MAY 19: BC's awful new anti-legalization law has passed 3rd reading in the Legislature and now only needs Royal Assent. It's a done deal. This piece of garbage legislation was rushed through before a long-weekend. The authoritarian and hyper-restrictive clauses received no criticism from the opposition parties. What a disgrace.
LINK TO LEGISLATION: https://www.leg.bc.ca/…/3rd-ses…/bills/first-reading/gov30-1

BILL 30 – 2018
#CANNABIS CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT

Public Intoxication with Cannabis
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine.
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine.

Driving While "Intoxicated by THC"
90-day Driving Ban issued without a warrant based on the testimony of a "Trained Drug Recognition Officer"-- an RCMP member.

Possession Over Legal Limit (30 grams)
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine

Compare to Regulations for Alcohol
Public Alcohol intoxication is not an offence of the Criminal Code of Canada, only a violation under the Provincial Liquor Control and Licensing Act which carries no jail time.

A conviction does not result in a criminal record. 
*Alcohol is responsible for 1.9% of deaths in Canada [4] 
Costs related to alcohol in Canada equalled approximately $14.6 billion in 2002.

New Sweeping Powers For Police
Officers can arrest without a warrant on suspicion of intoxication. Charges can be laid after a "trained drug recognition" (ie, an RCMP officer) decides you are intoxicated. No breath or blood test is necessary.

A nation-wide bait-and-switch
When the Province is adding more Cannabis-related crimes, including jail-time for the most minor non-violent offences, can we even call this "legalization"?

Sources: 
[1] BILL 30 – 2018
CANNABIS CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT

[2] OFFENCE ACT
[RSBC 1996] CHAPTER 338

[3] LIQUOR CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT
[SBC 2015] CHAPTER 19

[4] The Chief Public Health Officer's Report on the State of Public Health in Canada, 2015: Alcohol Consumption in Canada

Public Intoxication with Cannabis
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine.
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine.


What the fuck is this bullshit? Surely this can't be true.

It is but it isn't.

Drowned Out

Why wait and see if it is obviously crap to begin with?  Fixing bad legislation takes time.  I mean...even if the police don't enforce everything to the fullest, and judges are lenient, there is still huge potential for abuse of power, and selective enforcement.  And as with any bad law...it's only not a big deal if it doesn't affect you.  

PJ_Soul

Drowned Out said:

Why wait and see if it is obviously crap to begin with?  Fixing bad legislation takes time.  I mean...even if the police don't enforce everything to the fullest, and judges are lenient, there is still huge potential for abuse of power, and selective enforcement.  And as with any bad law...it's only not a big deal if it doesn't affect you.  

Because my expectations are down to Earth I guess? Did anyone seriously expect all the laws on the first go 'round to be 100% reasonable, without a hint of hysteria in them, given the circumstances? I sure didn't. I just don't feel like people are being realistic in their expectations - they are pissy about it not all being perfect from the get go, and to me that is a waste of emotional energy. Meanwhile they couldn't care less about the positives in all this, which are significant. Much more significant than the negatives. I think any criticism should be directed towards constructive change, and yes, that takes time. Even the government has acknowledged that all this will be straightened out over time, and that there is a learning curve. And all the really stupid shit is, again, to assuage the tee-totallers. Once all those ninnies work out that the society isn't going to fall apart because of legal weed, things will become much more logical on paper.

dignin

PJ_Soul said:

dignin said:

Drowned Out said:

PJ_Soul said:

Drowned Out said:

This 'legalization' is a joke.  I don't see it as 'learn by doing', I see it as 'ensure we hand a multi-billion dollar industry over to our friends and lobbyists'. How many new laws have been created in the legalization process?  Varies by province, but something like 30?  
Public intoxication penalties that make drunk in public fines look benign.  
Intoxicated driving laws that will make it virtually impossible for any regular user or medicinal patient to drive legally.  
Possession charges that carry increased penalties. 
A $5k fine in BC for having your plants visible to your neighbors.
Zero input or participation from the people who fought for legalization - craft growers completely shut out.
Big green now lobbying to ban outdoor grows - doing everything in their power to consolidate and minimize competition before legalization even begins.... 
Watching all these former cops and politicians and others who contributed to prohibition, including a family member of mine that always looked down on me, making asshole comments about cannabis consumers, get rich on the 'green rush' is a slap in the face.  
Knew the libs would fuck this up.  So frustrating.  

I don't understand how you're blaming the feds when everything you're talking about is determined by each province. Much of what you're complaining about is either not the case in my province, or hasn't been determined yet at all.

True that it's not (just) the feds, shouldn't have said that.  But according to this, Bill 30 in BC passed before the long weekend, which contains a lot of the things I mentioned:

Hemp Herbals Compassion Society

Read deeper into this problem in my latest for Hemp Herbals News: A War on Cannabis is Coming to British Columbia: https://hempherbals.ca/…/a-war-on-cannabis-is-coming-to-br…/

UPDATE SATURDAY MAY 19: BC's awful new anti-legalization law has passed 3rd reading in the Legislature and now only needs Royal Assent. It's a done deal. This piece of garbage legislation was rushed through before a long-weekend. The authoritarian and hyper-restrictive clauses received no criticism from the opposition parties. What a disgrace.
LINK TO LEGISLATION: https://www.leg.bc.ca/…/3rd-ses…/bills/first-reading/gov30-1

BILL 30 – 2018
#CANNABIS CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT

Public Intoxication with Cannabis
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine.
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine.

Driving While "Intoxicated by THC"
90-day Driving Ban issued without a warrant based on the testimony of a "Trained Drug Recognition Officer"-- an RCMP member.

Possession Over Legal Limit (30 grams)
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine

Compare to Regulations for Alcohol
Public Alcohol intoxication is not an offence of the Criminal Code of Canada, only a violation under the Provincial Liquor Control and Licensing Act which carries no jail time.

A conviction does not result in a criminal record. 
*Alcohol is responsible for 1.9% of deaths in Canada [4] 
Costs related to alcohol in Canada equalled approximately $14.6 billion in 2002.

New Sweeping Powers For Police
Officers can arrest without a warrant on suspicion of intoxication. Charges can be laid after a "trained drug recognition" (ie, an RCMP officer) decides you are intoxicated. No breath or blood test is necessary.

A nation-wide bait-and-switch
When the Province is adding more Cannabis-related crimes, including jail-time for the most minor non-violent offences, can we even call this "legalization"?

Sources: 
[1] BILL 30 – 2018
CANNABIS CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT

[2] OFFENCE ACT
[RSBC 1996] CHAPTER 338

[3] LIQUOR CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT
[SBC 2015] CHAPTER 19

[4] The Chief Public Health Officer's Report on the State of Public Health in Canada, 2015: Alcohol Consumption in Canada

Public Intoxication with Cannabis
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine.
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine.


What the fuck is this bullshit? Surely this can't be true.

It is but it isn't.

How so?

PJ_Soul

dignin said:

PJ_Soul said:

dignin said:

Drowned Out said:

PJ_Soul said:

Drowned Out said:

This 'legalization' is a joke.  I don't see it as 'learn by doing', I see it as 'ensure we hand a multi-billion dollar industry over to our friends and lobbyists'. How many new laws have been created in the legalization process?  Varies by province, but something like 30?  
Public intoxication penalties that make drunk in public fines look benign.  
Intoxicated driving laws that will make it virtually impossible for any regular user or medicinal patient to drive legally.  
Possession charges that carry increased penalties. 
A $5k fine in BC for having your plants visible to your neighbors.
Zero input or participation from the people who fought for legalization - craft growers completely shut out.
Big green now lobbying to ban outdoor grows - doing everything in their power to consolidate and minimize competition before legalization even begins.... 
Watching all these former cops and politicians and others who contributed to prohibition, including a family member of mine that always looked down on me, making asshole comments about cannabis consumers, get rich on the 'green rush' is a slap in the face.  
Knew the libs would fuck this up.  So frustrating.  

I don't understand how you're blaming the feds when everything you're talking about is determined by each province. Much of what you're complaining about is either not the case in my province, or hasn't been determined yet at all.

True that it's not (just) the feds, shouldn't have said that.  But according to this, Bill 30 in BC passed before the long weekend, which contains a lot of the things I mentioned:

Hemp Herbals Compassion Society

Read deeper into this problem in my latest for Hemp Herbals News: A War on Cannabis is Coming to British Columbia: https://hempherbals.ca/…/a-war-on-cannabis-is-coming-to-br…/

UPDATE SATURDAY MAY 19: BC's awful new anti-legalization law has passed 3rd reading in the Legislature and now only needs Royal Assent. It's a done deal. This piece of garbage legislation was rushed through before a long-weekend. The authoritarian and hyper-restrictive clauses received no criticism from the opposition parties. What a disgrace.
LINK TO LEGISLATION: https://www.leg.bc.ca/…/3rd-ses…/bills/first-reading/gov30-1

BILL 30 – 2018
#CANNABIS CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT

Public Intoxication with Cannabis
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine.
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine.

Driving While "Intoxicated by THC"
90-day Driving Ban issued without a warrant based on the testimony of a "Trained Drug Recognition Officer"-- an RCMP member.

Possession Over Legal Limit (30 grams)
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine

Compare to Regulations for Alcohol
Public Alcohol intoxication is not an offence of the Criminal Code of Canada, only a violation under the Provincial Liquor Control and Licensing Act which carries no jail time.

A conviction does not result in a criminal record. 
*Alcohol is responsible for 1.9% of deaths in Canada [4] 
Costs related to alcohol in Canada equalled approximately $14.6 billion in 2002.

New Sweeping Powers For Police
Officers can arrest without a warrant on suspicion of intoxication. Charges can be laid after a "trained drug recognition" (ie, an RCMP officer) decides you are intoxicated. No breath or blood test is necessary.

A nation-wide bait-and-switch
When the Province is adding more Cannabis-related crimes, including jail-time for the most minor non-violent offences, can we even call this "legalization"?

Sources: 
[1] BILL 30 – 2018
CANNABIS CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT

[2] OFFENCE ACT
[RSBC 1996] CHAPTER 338

[3] LIQUOR CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT
[SBC 2015] CHAPTER 19

[4] The Chief Public Health Officer's Report on the State of Public Health in Canada, 2015: Alcohol Consumption in Canada

Public Intoxication with Cannabis
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine.
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine.


What the fuck is this bullshit? Surely this can't be true.

It is but it isn't.

How so?

It won't be enforced.

dignin

PJ_Soul said:

dignin said:

PJ_Soul said:

dignin said:

Drowned Out said:

PJ_Soul said:

Drowned Out said:

This 'legalization' is a joke.  I don't see it as 'learn by doing', I see it as 'ensure we hand a multi-billion dollar industry over to our friends and lobbyists'. How many new laws have been created in the legalization process?  Varies by province, but something like 30?  
Public intoxication penalties that make drunk in public fines look benign.  
Intoxicated driving laws that will make it virtually impossible for any regular user or medicinal patient to drive legally.  
Possession charges that carry increased penalties. 
A $5k fine in BC for having your plants visible to your neighbors.
Zero input or participation from the people who fought for legalization - craft growers completely shut out.
Big green now lobbying to ban outdoor grows - doing everything in their power to consolidate and minimize competition before legalization even begins.... 
Watching all these former cops and politicians and others who contributed to prohibition, including a family member of mine that always looked down on me, making asshole comments about cannabis consumers, get rich on the 'green rush' is a slap in the face.  
Knew the libs would fuck this up.  So frustrating.  

I don't understand how you're blaming the feds when everything you're talking about is determined by each province. Much of what you're complaining about is either not the case in my province, or hasn't been determined yet at all.

True that it's not (just) the feds, shouldn't have said that.  But according to this, Bill 30 in BC passed before the long weekend, which contains a lot of the things I mentioned:

Hemp Herbals Compassion Society

Read deeper into this problem in my latest for Hemp Herbals News: A War on Cannabis is Coming to British Columbia: https://hempherbals.ca/…/a-war-on-cannabis-is-coming-to-br…/

UPDATE SATURDAY MAY 19: BC's awful new anti-legalization law has passed 3rd reading in the Legislature and now only needs Royal Assent. It's a done deal. This piece of garbage legislation was rushed through before a long-weekend. The authoritarian and hyper-restrictive clauses received no criticism from the opposition parties. What a disgrace.
LINK TO LEGISLATION: https://www.leg.bc.ca/…/3rd-ses…/bills/first-reading/gov30-1

BILL 30 – 2018
#CANNABIS CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT

Public Intoxication with Cannabis
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine.
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine.

Driving While "Intoxicated by THC"
90-day Driving Ban issued without a warrant based on the testimony of a "Trained Drug Recognition Officer"-- an RCMP member.

Possession Over Legal Limit (30 grams)
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine

Compare to Regulations for Alcohol
Public Alcohol intoxication is not an offence of the Criminal Code of Canada, only a violation under the Provincial Liquor Control and Licensing Act which carries no jail time.

A conviction does not result in a criminal record. 
*Alcohol is responsible for 1.9% of deaths in Canada [4] 
Costs related to alcohol in Canada equalled approximately $14.6 billion in 2002.

New Sweeping Powers For Police
Officers can arrest without a warrant on suspicion of intoxication. Charges can be laid after a "trained drug recognition" (ie, an RCMP officer) decides you are intoxicated. No breath or blood test is necessary.

A nation-wide bait-and-switch
When the Province is adding more Cannabis-related crimes, including jail-time for the most minor non-violent offences, can we even call this "legalization"?

Sources: 
[1] BILL 30 – 2018
CANNABIS CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT

[2] OFFENCE ACT
[RSBC 1996] CHAPTER 338

[3] LIQUOR CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT
[SBC 2015] CHAPTER 19

[4] The Chief Public Health Officer's Report on the State of Public Health in Canada, 2015: Alcohol Consumption in Canada

Public Intoxication with Cannabis
1st Offence: Up to 3 months in prison, $5,000 fine.
2nd Offence: Up to 6 months in prison, $10,000 fine.


What the fuck is this bullshit? Surely this can't be true.

It is but it isn't.

How so?

It won't be enforced.

Haha. 

Drowned Out

PJ_Soul said:

Drowned Out said:

Why wait and see if it is obviously crap to begin with?  Fixing bad legislation takes time.  I mean...even if the police don't enforce everything to the fullest, and judges are lenient, there is still huge potential for abuse of power, and selective enforcement.  And as with any bad law...it's only not a big deal if it doesn't affect you.  

Because my expectations are down to Earth I guess? Did anyone seriously expect all the laws on the first go 'round to be 100% reasonable, without a hint of hysteria in them, given the circumstances? I sure didn't. I just don't feel like people are being realistic in their expectations - they are pissy about it not all being perfect from the get go, and to me that is a waste of emotional energy. Meanwhile they couldn't care less about the positives in all this, which are significant. Much more significant than the negatives. I think any criticism should be directed towards constructive change, and yes, that takes time. Even the government has acknowledged that all this will be straightened out over time, and that there is a learning curve. And all the really stupid shit is, again, to assuage the tee-totallers. Once all those ninnies work out that the society isn't going to fall apart because of legal weed, things will become much more logical on paper.

I just don't see the positives, I guess.  I can't find the article now, but I read that analysts are seeing a rise in court time for cannabis, increased criminal convictions, etc.  

We should be educating the anti-weed crowd and doing this right, not placating them to the detriment of society.  Fuck them - they have had their way for decades and they lost. 
Seriously, allowing bad legislation to pass is just plain wrong.  The companies that are shaping the laws are not going to let them be changed again without a fight, and real harm will be done in the meantime.  

I know I'm an idealist, but surely we could have done a LOT better than this.  

PJ_Soul

I know we WILL do a lot better than this though, so I guess that's why I don't care too much. And remember that you and I know WAY more about weed than most of those politicians do, lol. But they'll figure it out... after it's legal.
The positives are that people don't have to go buy weed from drug dealers on the street anymore, the tax revenue, and the fact that this is going to quickly normalize weed and ditch the stupid stigmas about it.

Meltdown99

Black market for pot growing despite legalization in Colorado
http://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/black-market-for-pot-growing-despite-legalization-in-colorado-1.4675640

And it will continue to thrive in Canada unless the price point is adjusted...

Cigarettes ae a legal product.  The Black market cigarette market cigarette industry is booming.  

oftenreading

Meltdown99 said:

Black market for pot growing despite legalization in Colorado
http://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/black-market-for-pot-growing-despite-legalization-in-colorado-1.4675640

And it will continue to thrive in Canada unless the price point is adjusted...

Cigarettes ae a legal product.  The Black market cigarette market cigarette industry is booming.  

But people will have a legal alternative, and those who don’t want to put their money toward organized crime don’t have to. 

Also, the “booming” black market cigarette industry applies to very few smokers overall, compared to the legal cigarette industry (and personally I would rather see both of those go away). 

PJ_Soul

Meltdown99 said:

Black market for pot growing despite legalization in Colorado
http://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/black-market-for-pot-growing-despite-legalization-in-colorado-1.4675640

And it will continue to thrive in Canada unless the price point is adjusted...

Cigarettes ae a legal product.  The Black market cigarette market cigarette industry is booming.  

I think we already talked this issue to death ages ago, right?

oftenreading

Meltdown99 said:

Black market for pot growing despite legalization in Colorado
http://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/black-market-for-pot-growing-despite-legalization-in-colorado-1.4675640

And it will continue to thrive in Canada unless the price point is adjusted...

Cigarettes ae a legal product.  The Black market cigarette market cigarette industry is booming.  

So, I did not watch the video you posted, mostly because I don't tend to watch any videos posted and this one was too long, anyway. But I just read an article on cbc about the same issue, and what that article explains is that the "black market" in Colorado is booming primarily because ...... the growers are sending it to states that don't have legalized marijuana. Given that Canada will have federal legalization, it's not a  comparable situation. Sure, people may still grow for export out of Canada - I don't think anyone has made the argument that that will stop, but it's less relevant to the average Canadian. 

PJ_Soul

I just still can't believe there are people who think $10/gram is too much.

HughFreakingDillon

less than I pay now. LOL

PJ_Soul

HughFreakingDillon said:

less than I pay now. LOL

Right? It's the same price that I pay at a medical dispensary now.