Canada expected to legalize pot by 2018

[36654]

I appreciate the feedback given thus far that is related to the subject. Keep it coming. Our nation will be making this same decision soon probably and I need all the different perspectives to completely formulate my own. I am not satisfied that I can fully support my current one.

Are you not posing the same request as a resident of Saudi Arabia would have considered relative to Americans facing the repeal of Prohibition in 1933?

As RealShelby noted, we pay a lot to create a class of citizens which will likely never be employable at a later point in their lives. What happens with their families & children? In addition, many of our brightest and hardworking small town/rural entrepreneurs are participating in an lucrative business that provides a wonderfully perverse role model for our rural youth.

 

[martinph]

Its OK. It wont be compulsory to use it.

 

[alancoles]

I started this thread for the purpose of getting the views of our northern neighbors on this specific subject. Could we try and leave it at that and quit with the political stuff please. Focus on just legalizing pot as a nation. If you want to ramble elsewhere start your own thread and have at it.

I appreciate the feedback given thus far that is related to the subject. Keep it coming. Our nation will be making this same decision soon probably and I need all the different perspectives to completely formulate my own. I am not satisfied that I can fully support my current one.

The way I see it Mike, if you add up the population of the states within the US that have already made the move, that population is larger than the entire Canadian population and therefore you've already got a better comparison within the US itself.

Whether it should be legal or remain illegal, seems to have every flavour of opinion and very little fact-based information gets through these discussions without being mired down by personal bias which we all have.

My biggest concern is that authorities everywhere, seem to have drug their feet (pun intended) on establishing good fact-based repeatable field-testing and standardized levels for determining if someone should be considered un-safe to operate a motor vehicle. We've had this for alcohol for some time, and regardless of whether it is legal or illegal should have developed it for marijuana.

I have no problem with people doing what they want in this regard but don't want someone really stoned to be able to legally drive, especially while I'm riding a bike in the lane beside them. We have had roadside sobriety test (exercises) for many decades and these don't appear to have been changed/improved much over the past while. I don't know if they should or can be, but that should be part of this whoe process and it should be going on now.

The idea that if someone who has smoked, regardless of amount, is therefore not able to operating a vehicle is ridiculous compared to the argument for operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood (0.08). While one might agrue precisely where the BAC level should be 0.00-0.10 BAC (most are 0.05-0.08), these do provide parameters to guide one's understanding of a "generally" acceptable level. AFAIK, the same does not yet exist for marijuana.

 

[pauls1150]

Everybody's personal chemistry is a little bit different.

Alcohol - I have seen people go right to sleep, or get jolly, or become depressed, or get outright hostile with the partaking of various amounts. We know beyond the shadow of doubt exactly what it does to the body. We know what it does to the ability to make judgments and act appropriately to stressful or unexpected circumstances. While "less than the legal limit" may be "legally" ok, impairment can still get you a ticket, a jail cell, or a hospital bed.

Pot - Almost a verbatim ditto... We don't know "exactly" everything that it does to a body; there certainly have been studies, with mixed results. Unlike RealShelby, I actually have witnessed a few cases where people have become hostile after smoking, but these seem to be rare, and each time, there were other mental factors involved (paranoia, depression, jealousy, partying with the "wrong" friends). BTW, in California, driving stoned is now the same as an alcohol or prescription DUI.

These were in use loooong before anybody tried to create and enforce laws and regulations concerning them. The prohibition years of alcohol illustrated that "what the people actually want" shall triumph, and will eventually steer the lawmakers. "We can tax this? Goody!"

Do whatever you want, but the moment you negatively interfere with somebody else's life, you've gone too far, and you'll need to deal with the consequences.

 

[71243]

I have a unique perspective. I don't drink alcohol, never did in 57 years. Not one beer or anything. Never smoked pot, ate brownies, etc or used any other drugs. I have been around both over the years plenty enough to observe.

Anyone that thinks it is ok to drink alcohol but it is a crime/sin/gateway to death to smoke or use pot is a fool. Prohibition proved what happens when you try to make something illegal that cannot be controlled. Same with pot. Legalize it and make money off the taxes. Now.

To really bring a point to this, I will say that I have seen what happens when alcohol becomes a problem. Family problems, beating the wife and kids, and loss of job and driving. Alcohol can turn a nice person into a devil.

I have NEVER in all my years seen someone smoking or using pot try to fight me. Or go out of their way to pick a fight with someone. Pot is less of a problem than alcohol for society. If I were to pick one to keep and the other disappear, alcohol would be gone.

But it really isn't simple as that, is it? Gateway drug? I think not, I have plenty of acquaintances that never seemed to do harder drugs that were fairly frequent pot users. I can say the same for alcohol, but I will say that when you become an alcoholic you create a whole new set of problems. I suppose there are potaholics, but just don't see the same problems. Both are bad problems. There will always be some of each, legal or not.

We have not done well in the "War on Drugs". Legalize marijuana here and in Canada. Take the money that was being used to jail people with personal use amounts of pot and use it for something constructive.

I agree ^5

Just to be honest... I do drink socially, ever had too much? yes...ever a problem? No...Ever do pot?... i/2 a joint recently. First & only in 67 years....but do want to try more, for the reported health benefit. Mostly arthritis & it's pain.

 

[Terry Cainey]

I beg to differ. And it's about time. We waste millions of tax dollars, chasing, charging, court and jail. And give huge, yes I said it HUGE ( not quoting anyone south of the border mind you ) $ to organized crime in the process.

And yes Paul, I vote Yes for Western Canada BMWMOA rally. Hell I will even help to organize if it would be seriously considered.

Darryl meant that we would not be celebrating our anniversary by smoking pot, not that the laws wouldn't change.

 

[Darryl Cainey]

I beg to differ. And it's about time. We waste millions of tax dollars, chasing, charging, court and jail. And give huge, yes I said it HUGE ( not quoting anyone south of the border mind you ) $ to organized crime in the process.

And yes Paul, I vote Yes for Western Canada BMWMOA rally. Hell I will even help to organize if it would be seriously considered.

Yes they may legalize it, I'm not going to smoke it. That's what I meant!

 

[jandhumphreyme]

Pot's been legal here since January 30, so far the sun still comes up every day, no change to the day to day. Biggest change is my friends, hard working people who go to work every day and pay their bills are no longer in fear of loosing their lively hood, their car's, their homes, their guns for a couple joints.

People can now possess 2.5oz for personal consumption, you can also give away up to 2.5oz as long as you do not ask for anything in return. You can grow and possess 12 immature plants, or 6 mature plants at any one time. You must be 21 years or older to consume, you may not operate machinery under the influence or face prosecution, you may not consume in public or risk fine, you cannot grow your plants in view of the public and each plant must have a tag affixed with your name and drivers license number. OTC sales are still under rule review and must be finalized by Feb 2018. Employee's who's company work on federal contracts are subject to federal mandated drug testing and can face action from their employer should they test positive.

Jury's out on how it will go, my belief is it will go fine, and life will go on. I have same concerns as many have voiced here, what is the acceptable levels before someones too impaired to drive safely and how will law enforcement know, how will civil courts deal with case's of impaired driving in the event of injuries.

 

[ind1mrg]

Ever watch the Spice channel, see the one with the Vets and how the VA will stack pill on pill until they loose their minds completely, peek out the window with a rifle scope and have a table stacked with knives, loose everything, afraid not to do what the VA tells them to do. Then they show another vet with his daughter running around smiling playing and when asked, your dad sure smokes a lot of pot, she says yes but it helps him. What the hell, there are positive results everywhere if you care to look.
A friend of mine that has worked in a factory for a long time explained something he saw. When they started testing for pot everyone rushed to the doctors to get their- Legal- fix which has added to all sorts of problems with pill popping but hey that's legal.
The government uses pot as a easy way to put a life long suppression on people that don't deserve it.

 

[greenwald]

Ever watch the Spice channel, see the one with the Vets and how the VA will stack pill on pill until they loose their minds completely, peek out the window with a rifle scope and have a table stacked with knives, loose everything, afraid not to do what the VA tells them to do. Then they show another vet with his daughter running around smiling playing and when asked, your dad sure smokes a lot of pot, she says yes but it helps him. What the hell, there are positive results everywhere if you care to look.
A friend of mine that has worked in a factory for a long time explained something he saw. When they started testing for pot everyone rushed to the doctors to get their- Legal- fix which has added to all sorts of problems with pill popping but hey that's legal.
The government uses pot as a easy way to put a life long suppression on people that don't deserve it.

Yeah ......... and I know a troubled Nam vet whom I used to have to arrest frequently who ended up seeing the image of an angel in a rain-filled coffee can while sniffing airplane glue, turned his life around, and is now a model citizen.

Ergo, the answer must be the mass distribution of coffee cans and Testors?!

I fail to see your point, other than like mine, it's nothing more than an isolated, anecdotal campfire story.

As if our current society isn't messed up enough, let's solve that by legalizing an hallucinogenic drug for the masses?

Yeah -can't you just feel the uptic in the IQ of future generations with that approach.

 

[Voni]

Yeah ......... and I know a troubled Nam vet whom I used to have to arrest frequently who ended up seeing the image of an angel in a rain-filled coffee can while sniffing airplane glue, turned his life around, and is now a model citizen.

Ergo, the answer must be the mass distribution of coffee cans and Testors?!

I fail to see your point, other than like mine, it's nothing more than an isolated, anecdotal campfire story.

As if our current society isn't messed up enough, let's solve that by legalizing an hallucinogenic drug for the masses?

Yeah -can't you just feel the uptic in the IQ of future generations with that approach.

Except it isn't just one isolated anecdotal instance . . .

Voni

 

[36654]

Considering the issues of fixing the roads, insuring solvency of Social Security/Medicare, constraining medical insurance costs, protecting the free world from Putin and etc., etc., I have little interest in prosecuting the guy that's selling and buying weed in the VFW or American Legion parking lot. Putting that entrepreneur/customer in jail just insures that we have another unemployable person in our community.

Talk about a problem multiplier.

 

[greenwald]

Except it isn't just one isolated anecdotal instance . . .

Voni

When did we throw in the towel, and decide drugs were the answer?!

 

[179212]

If stumpy and the 2%ers stay in power your going to have to eat a lot of that stuff may get to a point when you make a turn the handlebars may hit the spare tire

 

[Rinty]

Just wondering how our friends up north feel about this...

I don't have strong feelings about the de-criminalization one way or the other, other than that the Liberal initiative is resulting in an unfortunate expenditure of effort on the part of politicians and administrators that could be better spent on more important issues.

The really big mess is going to occur after the Liberals pass their legislation, and the provinces and territories then have to try to figure out how they are going to administer the distribution, classification and advertising of the stuff and deal with traffic law enforcement. At least they can look at the U.S. experience, and hopefully avoid, or mitigate some potential problems. It could be that some governments choose to do nothing at all.

Anyway, thanks for asking, Mike, and hopefully the thread won't be closed for a while.

 

[Voni]

When did we throw in the towel, and decide drugs were the answer?!

Not at all what I said. Misdirection may get you somewhere but it sure doesn't impress me.

Voni

 

[greenwald]

I don't have strong feelings about the de-criminalization one way or the other, other than that the Liberal initiative is resulting in an unfortunate expenditure of effort on the part of politicians and administrators that could be better spent on more important issues.

The really big mess is going to occur after the Liberals pass their legislation, and the provinces and territories then have to try to figure out how they are going to administer the distribution, classification and advertising of the stuff and deal with traffic law enforcement. At least they can look at the U.S. experience, and hopefully avoid, or mitigate some potential problems. It could be that some governments choose to do nothing at all.

Anyway, thanks for asking, Mike, and hopefully the thread won't be closed for a while.

Not trying to take the thread in another direction, but out of curiosity, from your perspective as a Canadian, what are perhaps the top three issues in your country that deserve attention?

 

[mikegalbicka]

Not trying to take the thread in another direction, but out of curiosity, from your perspective as a Canadian, what are perhaps the top three issues in your country that deserve attention?

Not trying to? Really?

 

[greenwald]

Not trying to? Really?

Really.

Hoping he offers his perspective.

Then, this thread will surely circle back to legalizing the drug in question, have no fear.

 

[Rinty]

Not trying to take the thread in another direction, but out of curiosity, from your perspective as a Canadian, what are perhaps the top three issues in your country that deserve attention?

I'd say:

1. energy pipelines
2. health care
3. the inter provincial equalization plan (this is a program where "Have" provinces transfer money - billions - to "Have Not" provinces).

But there are dozens more - huge issues.

So, circling back, the pot policy originated in the Liberals' youth wing a few years ago, and was later picked up by Trudeau. Tim Powers, a veteran Conservative Party strategist, has written that it was implemented to appeal to "progressives", thereby taking support from the rival New Democratic Party, and to "unite and excite his party's committed operatives, and expand its pool of ... volunteers."