Cannabis is legal in Canada: What you need to know(cbc.ca)
cbc.ca
Cannabis is legal in Canada: What you need to know
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/marijuana-faq-legalization-need-to-know-1.4862207
328 comments
Wow, some really interesting edge cases in there that require serious thought.
US border guards might deny you entry if you admit to previous cannabis use - for them "A confession is as good as a conviction". So you can do something that is perfectly legal in Canada, then a month later be denied entry to the US for doing it.
If you work at a 100% legal Government-run Cannabis store and want to go to the US for a holiday, you "Could be found admissible". could!
When arriving by air into Canada you will be asked about previous Cannabis use. What? They don't ask about previous alcohol use, why do they for what is now perfectly legal Cannabis?
US border guards might deny you entry if you admit to previous cannabis use - for them "A confession is as good as a conviction". So you can do something that is perfectly legal in Canada, then a month later be denied entry to the US for doing it.
If you work at a 100% legal Government-run Cannabis store and want to go to the US for a holiday, you "Could be found admissible". could!
When arriving by air into Canada you will be asked about previous Cannabis use. What? They don't ask about previous alcohol use, why do they for what is now perfectly legal Cannabis?
Canada is leading in personal freedoms and new markets with this move, ending cannabis prohibition that is long overdue and a step in ending the drug wars.
The policy change regarding viewing drugs not as criminal but decriminalized and a health issue where needed, is the safer thing to do in a regulated market that will improve safety for recreational use and harm reduction. The War on Drugs started as an attack on personal freedoms and made drugs more dangerous both in production and use, spawning all sorts of synthetics that are more dangerous and black market mafia forces spawning violence just like during alcohol prohibition.
Maybe in 2019 the US can be next as a whole ending cannabis prohibition, about 50 years after the kickoff of Nixon's drug wars due to losing to Leary in the SCOTUS over the Marihuana Tax Act [1]
> Leary v. United States, 395 U.S. 6 (1969), is a U.S. Supreme Court case dealing with the constitutionality of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. Timothy Leary, a professor and activist, was arrested for the possession of marijuana in violation of the Marihuana Tax Act. Leary challenged the act on the ground that the act required self-incrimination, which violated the Fifth Amendment. The unanimous opinion of the court was penned by Justice John Marshall Harlan II and declared the Marihuana Tax Act unconstitutional. Thus, Leary's conviction was overturned. Congress responded shortly thereafter by replacing the Marihuana Tax Act with the newly written Controlled Substances Act while continuing the prohibition of certain drugs in the United States
Unfortunately, it is too bad leading states like Colorado, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and more aren't able to capitalize on the markets until the US as a whole federally ends prohibition. US states that are forward looking are cut off from banking, interstate commerce, global investment and are being held back by the anti-market approach of the current prohibitions.
Canada stepped up to first mover globally for cannabis which will lead to a chance at global cannabis companies being Canadian.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leary_v._United_States
The policy change regarding viewing drugs not as criminal but decriminalized and a health issue where needed, is the safer thing to do in a regulated market that will improve safety for recreational use and harm reduction. The War on Drugs started as an attack on personal freedoms and made drugs more dangerous both in production and use, spawning all sorts of synthetics that are more dangerous and black market mafia forces spawning violence just like during alcohol prohibition.
Maybe in 2019 the US can be next as a whole ending cannabis prohibition, about 50 years after the kickoff of Nixon's drug wars due to losing to Leary in the SCOTUS over the Marihuana Tax Act [1]
> Leary v. United States, 395 U.S. 6 (1969), is a U.S. Supreme Court case dealing with the constitutionality of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. Timothy Leary, a professor and activist, was arrested for the possession of marijuana in violation of the Marihuana Tax Act. Leary challenged the act on the ground that the act required self-incrimination, which violated the Fifth Amendment. The unanimous opinion of the court was penned by Justice John Marshall Harlan II and declared the Marihuana Tax Act unconstitutional. Thus, Leary's conviction was overturned. Congress responded shortly thereafter by replacing the Marihuana Tax Act with the newly written Controlled Substances Act while continuing the prohibition of certain drugs in the United States
Unfortunately, it is too bad leading states like Colorado, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and more aren't able to capitalize on the markets until the US as a whole federally ends prohibition. US states that are forward looking are cut off from banking, interstate commerce, global investment and are being held back by the anti-market approach of the current prohibitions.
Canada stepped up to first mover globally for cannabis which will lead to a chance at global cannabis companies being Canadian.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leary_v._United_States
Anti weed people made a lot of noise when CO and WA legalized retail sales 4 years ago, as if it would cause mass chaos, but really nothing much has changed in those states. Law enforcement have much bigger problems to deal with like a fentanyl epidemic, and Seattle's rapidly growing homeless population and property crime problem.
This will be very interesting to watch. So far the marijuana debate seems to be stifled by the lack of hard evidence of what would happen were the drug legalised in a developed Western nation. Uruguay is different enough from the US etc. to be discountable, but Canada is not.
Many advocates for legalisation will show how it is expected to reduce the overall harm from the drug. It will be interesting to see if this plays out in practice. I for one am hopeful.
Many advocates for legalisation will show how it is expected to reduce the overall harm from the drug. It will be interesting to see if this plays out in practice. I for one am hopeful.
The really interesting studies will be longitudinal IMO. It's almost certainly not going to be another tobacco, but it strikes me as impossible that smoking marijuana is harmless. Should also be interesting to see what marijuana culture develops when the entire country is allowed to consume it legally.
>Ontario's new PC government has been quiet on prices, but said it aims to set them at a rate that would be competitive with illicit dispensaries.
Do Canadian government set prices for many goods? Would the same prices apply to giving people pot you grew at home?
Several times it mentions "smoking pot", surely they should be trying to make vaping or other use normative otherwise you're inviting lots of illnesses related to smoking anything.
Does cannabis get cut with other plant matter a lot, are they planning on any enforcement there?
Do Canadian government set prices for many goods? Would the same prices apply to giving people pot you grew at home?
Several times it mentions "smoking pot", surely they should be trying to make vaping or other use normative otherwise you're inviting lots of illnesses related to smoking anything.
Does cannabis get cut with other plant matter a lot, are they planning on any enforcement there?
Sadly complete state control of online sales prevents us from running an erlang written dope auction site or similar business.
If you are interested to see what/how the products are marketed, see the SQDC website from Quebec province: https://www.sqdc.ca/en-CA/
1g = ~CAD$5
1g = ~CAD$5
Has a nice ring to it; "Canada Canabiz"
Congrats from the rest of us in the world who are still waiting!
Congrats from the rest of us in the world who are still waiting!
It could be a head start towards concentrating cannabis ownership in Canada, similar to mining. Voters also appreciate progressive changes. Good move by the government.
Big Money has been flowing into Canadian canna-startups for years, featuring absolutely massive operations. Founders are claiming that their capacity is intended to supply the "International Market". I don't see how this is possible in state-regulated marketplaces, though. Why would, for instance, Massachusetts or California regulators allow local dispensaries to sell imported product? Even intra-state trade is uncertain.
I don't trust Shopify (or any other merchant) to run the online Ontario Cannabis store in a way that won't ultimately lead to an American federal policing agency demanding records and the names of all customers ending up on some list that Homeland security can peruse during border crossings.
So I won't be partaking for that reason, among others.
So I won't be partaking for that reason, among others.
Beyond usage of legal Cannabis in Canada, US Border agents can deny entry to those who work or invest in the Cannabis market.
Don't forget: The current marijuana laws around the world can all be basically pinpointed to a single person: Harry motherfucking Anslinger[0], who was in the position of power within the US for unprecedented 32 years. He got in power 16 years before Trump was born, and ended up being in power until Trump turned 16.
That guy loved to use anecdotes instead of facts, and presented marijuana as a drug that makes you kill people. As an example, he often used a case in which a guy from Florida killed his parents and chopped their bodies, always failing to mention that this person was recommended to go to a mental institution and didn't end up going there because his parents vouched for him.
After Harry was done with criminalizing marijuana within the US, he started advocating for other countries to do as well, being the US representative in the United Nations Narcotics Commission. Even Thailand ended up criminalizing it, despite marijuana usage being embedded in their culture and history. The fear of the US turning their backs on you was and remained a risky action for smaller countries.
The good news is we're on our way to revert his fuckery within a century. The bad news is that his fuckery lasted a century and got countless people sent to jail.
For those interested in how the current drug laws came to be, I highly recommend you to read Chasing The Scream[1]. It has completely changed my perspective of drug usage and war on drugs and I consider it one of the best nonfiction books I got my hands on so far.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_J._Anslinger
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasing_the_Scream
That guy loved to use anecdotes instead of facts, and presented marijuana as a drug that makes you kill people. As an example, he often used a case in which a guy from Florida killed his parents and chopped their bodies, always failing to mention that this person was recommended to go to a mental institution and didn't end up going there because his parents vouched for him.
After Harry was done with criminalizing marijuana within the US, he started advocating for other countries to do as well, being the US representative in the United Nations Narcotics Commission. Even Thailand ended up criminalizing it, despite marijuana usage being embedded in their culture and history. The fear of the US turning their backs on you was and remained a risky action for smaller countries.
The good news is we're on our way to revert his fuckery within a century. The bad news is that his fuckery lasted a century and got countless people sent to jail.
For those interested in how the current drug laws came to be, I highly recommend you to read Chasing The Scream[1]. It has completely changed my perspective of drug usage and war on drugs and I consider it one of the best nonfiction books I got my hands on so far.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_J._Anslinger
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasing_the_Scream
Been seeing a lot of don't get high and drive govt. ads here in Canada, feels surreal.
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Government stores OMG.
Slight digression, yesterday someone told me the existence of the Kratom plant. Which seems another potent and not harmful leaf that can improve your quality of life. (the few research on it is muddy so grain of salt required, but the amount of people shouting publicly for it in the US gets one thinking).
For just one example, consider airline staff. Some Canadian airlines have already banned employees from using pot. Obviously, the general public doesn't want to fly with pilots that are high in more than one way. These airlines also have to operate in countries, like the U.S., where their employees could be detained or expelled for even admitting to have used pot in the past. Being able to look foreign gatekeepers in the face and deny having ever used a product that's legal in your native country is now a necessary job requirement for some.
On the bright side, we could finally get some quality data on the health impacts of pot, now that trials and surveys can be done without potentially incriminating anyone. Like practically every other fun thing in existence it's probably very bad for you. We just don't know how... yet.
Canada taxes alcohol at a rate of over 50% in most provinces. The initial tax rates for pot will be much lower, but should increase steadily year-over-year. Alcohol taxes continue to rise every year. This is going to be a huge cash cow for the Canadian government, and I can't imagine other countries not wanting to get in on the action once they see how much Canada will be raking in.