Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, sticking to his campaign pledge, introduced legislation to legalize marijuana in Canada. But not just medical marijuana – recreational marijuana. A milestone in the country’s history and one for the world, too.
While many countries have decriminalized or allowed the medical use of marijuana, Trudeau’s bill – which is expected to pass – will make Canada the second nation after Uruguay to completely legalize cannabis for consumers. Media is warning that “experts” are working out the kinks before sales can begin. Each province will decide how marijuana can be distributed and sold within its territory, including prices and age limits.
Since this effort surrounds legalization versus decriminalization, Canadians can probably expect high taxes and regulation on the product, similar to Canada’s strict tobacco regulations and government-run liquor stores. However, unlike America, where marijuana is legal in some states but still federally illegal (fueling the War on Drugs and police state policies), Canada’s expected ruling will eliminate a national prohibition.
Households will be allowed to grow four plants and individuals can carry 30 grams or about one ounce. Commercial growers will be licensed and closely watched by the federal government. Illegally run operations will face shut-downs. It will not be sold in alcohol shops. The legal age will be 18 unless changed by each province, and it will still a major crime to sell or give marijuana to minors. While growers are excited that Canada “could be to cannabis what France is to wine,” it is unclear what international policies will be set in stone after Canada’s legalization of marijuana.
Trudeau wants marijuana run more like the tobacco growers – an agricultural commodity with plain packaging and government control rather than bunches of individual brands and outfits cropping up. This has caused some business owners to call his bill “aggressive” and “arrogant.” Medical marijuana growers appear to be concerned about the market expansion.
Major Downsides
The government wants to know at any given time, how “impaired” people are after marijuana legalization in Canada. “Several police forces, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, are testing two types of screening devices that can detect drugs in saliva, including THC, the main psychoactive substance in marijuana,” reports the NY Times. Motorists will have to relinquish saliva samples on demand to the police and allow officers a breath test for alcohol when stopping drivers – for any reason.
Employers May Overstep Boundaries
Those in the medical field and occupational organizations are decrying work and road accidents related to marijuana legalization. To paraphrase former Congressman Ron Paul, legalizing (or decriminalizing) heroin will not make a non-user suddenly go out and shoot up – it ensures that people are not thrown into the prison system over victimless crimes.
In America, employers want to get into their workers’ Facebook pages and read their credit reports. But coming soon to Canada, the employer may be allowed to test marijuana levels in their employees’ bodies on demand. Is this fair to them or the employees who choose not to partake. It looks like employers will be granted more power over their employees to do random drugs tests simply because of legalization.
While recreational marijuana users can now cheer that their pastime and preferred form of pain relief is less criminal now, Canadians need to ask themselves if the invasive strings attached are worth it. Americans need to ask themselves if they wish to follow their neighbor into legalization.
What do you think about this news? Good? Foreboding? Sound off below and share!
Source: NY Times
Natural Blaze / CC SA-4.0 / eBook
Heather Callaghan is an independent researcher, writer, speaker and food freedom activist. She is the Editor and co-founder of NaturalBlaze as well as a certified Self-Referencing IITM Practitioner.
Get a nifty FREE eBook
So just where did things get off the track that government’s became mommies and daddies “allowing” us things in life??
ain’t gonna get better as robots and AIs will soon put countless millions more out of a job and as a result govts will be forced to institute a universal minimum wage for everyone because it’s just going to be impossible to re-skill everyone through training that most people probably are neither interested in nor intellectually capable to complete with excellence. meaning: compared to an AI, the AI will always excel orders of magnitude over the human going through retraining without great motivation.
so either we’ll have million more homeless wandering the streets without anything to lose, or we keep them fed and sedated at home, ensuring social peace. based on historical empirical evidence in Eastern European countries, incl Russia, many yearn for the good ol’ days when Communism ruled everyone’s life. now why is that? it doesn’t seem human nature is much different outside of these countries, so my bet is that it’ll be a cinch to put in force.
so which one of these scenarios is most likely to see the day of light?
Best helpful Doctor so far,Dr Mark Donald,for your inquiries or help of getting any of your Medicine, weeds , seeds, thc/cbd oil , medical marijuana Cards,medical/recreational marijuana ,cannabis oil ,medical prescription/cards and other related products do fast to get to Dr via email address ( markdonald045@gmail.com ) and contact number (313) 923-7690 .
Am Mark Donald very grateful for medical marijuana association authorities for voting and alleging me as the best helpful Doctor , so for any inquiries or help of getting any of your Medical license ,Medicine,weeds, seeds, thc/cbd oil , medical marijuana Cards and so on do fast to get to me via email address ( markdonald045@gmail.com ) and contact number (313) 923-7690
I have been using Dr mark Donald THC/CBD cannabis oil in treating my sister’s rare form of left hand side breast cancer with a lot of improvement since 3 weeks and the oil is working in a miraculous way beyond our expectations. The medication is working with super proof though she is always euphoric with THC potency, but the medication is working miraculously. She is a Mother of 3 wonderful kids. i only text Dr Mark on his number (313) 923-7690 OR Email address (markdonald045@gmail.com) .
“so which one of these scenarios is most likely to see the day of light?”
Your assumption of doing Nostradamus-like interpretation of future events and being correct comes from where? The web? A little blogging?
Remember this, if everything of importance since childhood has been a lie, what is the difference now? I don’t share your dark vision of the future.
Thanks.
the speculation re future events comes from what the likes of stephen hawking, elon musk, ray kurzweil, et al. have been saying. all orders of magnitude more intelligent than i. so if i were you, i’d listen to them. and besides, it’s all over the tech press as well. so it’s not like it’s a secret anymore.
You are using a version of a “bandwagon” falacy, asserting that everyone agrees.
You might want approach your sharing of information without telling others what the “ought” to do. Those of us who ingage in discussions out here attempt to treat others as equals and adults.
i don’t understand why you would even think this. i started by just giving my opinion in the form of speculation about the future, nothing more.
then you asked where i get such notions from, which is a fair question. and i answered you by telling you that my opinion is in fact formed on the basis of the opinions of much smarter people than myself: stephen hawking, elon musk, futurist ray kurzweil, and so on.
then you retort with allegations of fallacy and that i assert ‘that everyone agrees.’ i did no such thing.
so i don’t understand your beef: even stephen wozniak has a bleak view of what AIs mean for us not only as society, but also as a species.
everyone with 1/2 a brain reading this will understand that it doesn’t mean it will come to pass necessarily, as even the smartest among us can be wrong in their prognostications.
in conclusion, i am not telling you what to think. the phrase i used: ‘so if i were you, i’d listen to them,’ is merely an expression, a rhetorical device meaning that if you got a genius saying something versus an idiot saying something, logically one would and should not ignore what the genius is saying. i trust i don’t have to explain why that is as it is just plain old common sense.
Since you profile is closed and your up vote is only 1/5th of your posts I’m guessing either shill or angry person, neither of with which I choose to deal. Bye.
and this is where i say: ‘whatever’.
however, you are welcome to follow the leads i gave you re the the future of society and AI.
note i didn’t ask you to believe me. i have given you and anyone else enough information that you can google and verify all of it on your own, since this is my source anyway.
so i really don’t understand this antagonistic attitude of yours. it’s not like anyone is telling you what to do or pointing fingers at you as you seem wont to do to others: ‘shill’, ‘angry person’. seriously??
I’ll let you recieve payment perhaps for one more reply.
I was VERY clear in my first post to you. You have been out here long enough to understand there are paid shills, and simple trolls. One seeks confrontation and $ credit pre exchange, the other seeks attention.
Your pretend “naivety” doesn’t work with me. Your lack of punctuation, and lack of respect for this, the last true process for public communication not controlled by corporate interests, is insulting.
okaaayyy…. i’m done with you. you are nuts, you know that. not everyone is a shill or troll.
Since you were born, ie birth certificate, unless you rebut their assumptions
Dr Peter Hurt get it through to me here in New york today discretely and very fast i vote for him 100% . Thanks to you Grace for linking me up with Dr hurt , he is legit love you Dr my Glycoma and brain tumor is now 80% free . Get him on (8.0.4) 5.3.7-0.9.1.7 .
People are being ripped off by most of these scumbags and i felt so stupid when one of them got me. Be alert people!!! I never gave up!! I was referred to Dr Peter Hurt and expert in both medical and recreational marijuana and byproducts(THC, CBD oils, wax very good strains, seeds ,medical marijuana card etc). I placed an order and it arrived before i even new it. My health has improved remarkably all thanks to this good Dr. and also thanks to him, i’m able to grow my own plants from seed i got from him.Please for all your inquiries contact him via or you can call or text +1(804) 537-0917and experience first hand the quality of his products and services.+1(804) 537-0917
Best helpful Doctor so far,Dr Mark Donald,for your inquiries or help of getting any of your Medicine, weeds , seeds, thc/cbd oil , medical marijuana Cards,medical/recreational marijuana ,cannabis oil ,medical prescription/cards and other related products do fast to get to Dr via email address ( markdonald045@gmail.com ) and contact number (313) 923-7690
“O CANNABIS”
Clever play on syllables and national anthem. ?
As the populous gleefully accept government control, regulation (punishment) and PERMISSION to grow a PLANT; MORONS.
Contact my weed guy, James Watt M. via whatsapp or we chat or text at (720) 295 5317 or email jameswat813@gmail.com. he is the best. he ships inter states without any problems. I love it, i guarantee you like his deliveries too. ships fro 7hrs – 24hrs