Canada: Stasis & Grey Areas In Legalization Process To Cause Problems For Trudeau

Two articles this week in the Canadian media suggest that some quick decisions need to be made or the legalization process may be tainted by current inactivity on the legislative front

The Toroto Sun reports

Trudeau must explain pot law

http://www.torontosun.com/2016/05/15/trudeau-must-explain-pot-law

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to legalize marijuana in last year’s federal election and it’s time he started answering questions on when and how.

Having Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott announce at the United Nations on April 20 — or 4/20, otherwise known as Weed Day — that Canada will introduce a law next spring was politically cute, but nothing more.

Back at home, the Liberals aren’t dealing with an increasing number of questions about legalization.

In Toronto, Mayor John Tory is rightly worried about the sudden proliferation of unregulated marijuana dispensaries in anticipation of legalization, which are popping up all over the city, some close to schools. ( read rest of article at link above)

and

Quartz  writes

After Trudeau’s election, Toronto has become the wild west of illegal marijuana dispensaries

Unless you are one of a few dozen medical marijuana producers with a license from the federal government, it’s illegal to sell weed for any reason in Canada.

But you wouldn’t know that walking through Toronto’s Kensington Market. The neighborhood has six of the more than 100 marijuana dispensaries in the city. Most of them sprang up in the last six months. Not coincidentally, that’s right after the election of Justin Trudeau who ran on the legalization of marijuana, among other progressive issues.

A map of every weed dispensary in Toronto as of May 13th, 2016. Compiled by the cannabis consulting agency, The Big Toke

A handful of marijuana dispensaries have existed in Toronto for years. They usually catered to a small clientele, required doctor’s prescriptions, and operated out of undisclosed locations. The new crop of dispensaries, however, are not so subtle. According to Adam Verk, a project manager at The Big Toke, which consults with and collects data on cannabis-related businesses in Toronto, almost all of the newer dispensaries have storefronts and are open to the public.

That has some veterans of the business worried. “In the past six months it’s gotten crazy, and a lot of them aren’t following protocols,” said Amy Brown, who has been running a Toronto-based marijuana dispensary called CannDo since 2014. She’s referring to reports by local media outlets that some dispensaries are offering grace periods to provide prescriptions, while others aren’t asking for them at all.

Even though the proliferation of cannabis shops in Toronto is in anticipation of the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, it’s unclear whether new federal laws will legalize the dispensaries themselves. The Liberal government isn’t releasing its proposed legislation until the spring of 2017.

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