CANADA IS THE FIRST INDUSTRIALIZED NATION IN THE WORLD TO LEGALIZE CANNABIS
YOU did it! … Thank You!
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” – Gandhi
“The Power of the People Is Greater Than the People in Power” … Wael Ghonim
BROWSE THE SHOP – T-SHIRTS FOR SALE!
To Our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the present sitting Canadian Government:
“Now that our Conservative Ontario Premier has ALLOWED Ontario to open ONLY 25 retail cannabis stores in Ontario until April 2019 due to the cannabis shortage, why doesn’t the FEDERAL Government legalize and regulate Dispensaries AND Craft Growers to fill the void?”
Respectfully,
Alison Myrden
Psilocybin Could Be Legal for Therapy by 2021
The psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms could soon be legal to use in a clinical setting
By – SHELBY HARTMAN
For the first time in U.S. history, a psychedelic drug is on the fast track to getting approved for treating depression by the federal government. Late last month, Compass Pathways, a U.K.-based company that researches and develops mental health treatments, announced the FDA granted them what’s called a “breakthrough therapy designation” for their trials into psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms.
Researchers who pioneered psychedelic science agree — this is a landmark moment for their field.
“It really does represent a significant development in the whole history of psychedelic research,” says University of California, Los Angeles psychiatry and behavioral sciences professor Charles Grob, who conducted foundational psilocybin trials at UCLA in the mid-2000s.
To Grob and others, the FDA’s recognition of psilocybin isn’t just about psilocybin; It indicates a larger shift in how the federal government perceives psychedelic drugs. Researchers only began receiving approval to investigate psychedelics in the 90s, after they were banned from science for decades due to their association with Woodstock-era iconoclasts.
In August 2017, the FDA gave its first indication that times were changing when it granted MDMA — often confused with ecstasy — a breakthrough therapy designation for post-traumatic stress disorder. Researchers now see both the success of MDMA and psilocybin as a sign that “the psychedelic renaissance,” the resurgence of psychedelic drug research, is finally helping psychedelic medicine receive the recognition it deserves.
Rick Doblin, founder of the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and a psychedelic research pioneer, predicts that MDMA and psilocybin could now both be legal by 2021. They wouldn’t be legalized for prescription, but, rather, legalized to be administered by therapists who have been trained in what’s called “psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.” In the case of psilocybin, a therapist or therapy team meets with the patient prior to their trip to psychologically prepare them; monitors them throughout their trip (typically eight hours or so); and then helps them process their experience afterwards.
If Compass is successful, psilocybin will be approved by the FDA for patients with treatment-resistant depression, or patients who have not responded to traditional anti-depressants. Part of the reason Compass received a breakthrough therapy designation is because there’s a dire need for novel depression treatments in the U.S.
Sixteen million Americans suffer from depression and approximately one-third of them are treatment-resistant. Depression is also an epidemic worldwide, affecting 300 million people around the globe.
Psilocybin has already proven effective as a mental health treatment in cancer patients suffering from end-of-life distress. Johns Hopkins University, New York University, and UCLA have all conducted trials which have consistently found that a significant number of patients saw their depression and anxiety decrease, if not fully go away, while ranking their trips among the most meaningful experiences of their lives, alongside events like the birth of a first child.
The data from these trials, among others, was used by Compass to receive FDA approval. Researchers are careful to point out, however, that these trials, conducted in cancer patients with end-of-life distress, have limited application for treatment-resistant depression among the general population. There’s only been one promising trial, conducted at the Imperial College London in 2015, looking specifically at treatment-resistant depression — but that only looked at 12 people.
Compass is determined to change that — quickly — and they’re already having unprecedented success in the psychedelic field. They aim to enroll 216 participants in their next round of trials. They have research sites in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, with the intention of getting psilocybin approved for prescription in Europe, too. Notably, they’re also backed by billionaires including Peter Thiel and ex-hedge fund manager Michael Novogratz, an indication to some researchers in the field that psychedelics have gone mainstream.
There’s only one other organization in the U.S. that’s close to developing a classic psychedelic — MDMA is not considered one of them — into a treatment: a research nonprofit called the Usona Institute. They, too, have received FDA approval for their psilocybin trials in the hopes of getting psilocybin approved for anyone with depression, not just those who are treatment-resistant. Doblin says Compass getting breakthrough therapy designation status should help Usona, or anyone else who wants, get it too.
There’s consensus among the psychedelic community that Compass’ success with the FDA will make it easier for everyone else in the field to get approved for research. If Compass continues to succeed and gets psilocybin approved for depression, Doblin predicts it will be eligible for “off label” prescription, in which doctors will be able to prescribe it for any condition they see fit. That means all the psilocybin research conducted for academic purposes could be used to prescribe psilocybin for conditions like addiction to cigarettes or alcohol.
For the last decade or so, psychedelic pioneers have trodden lightly, concerned that at any moment they might once again lose the freedom to conduct their life’s work. But now, it appears they’ve come too far to go back — and the federal government is finally recognizing it, too.
Canada’s chronic shortage of legal cannabis expected to drag out for years
“WHAT ELSE DID WE EXPECT!”
One industry insider expects shortage to continue until 2022, as more legal cannabis diverted to edibles
Canada’s licensed producers are growing more cannabis than ever. But they still aren’t making enough to balance supply and demand. (Derek Hooper/CBC)
Canada’s persistent shortage of legal cannabis could drag on for years. The impending legalization of edible pot will only divert more product away from empty store shelves across the country. One industry insider said he now expects that shortage to endure until 2022.
“If it was just the current product set, I’d say a year to 18 months,” said Chuck Rifici, CEO of the Toronto-based cannabis company Auxly.
“But because we have edibles and a bunch of new product types coming in October, I think it’ll be the better part of three years before we have true equilibrium and oversupply in the space.”
Licensed producers have been adding capacity in droves. Millions of square feet of new greenhouse space has been built since last summer. But for every new gram produced, new demand is piling up as well.
“The medical cannabis market still grows by about five per cent a month,” said Rifici. “We have about 300,000 Canadians accessing medically, so that’s a drain on the system, as well as international exports that are starting to amplify.”
Edibles industry ramps up
Meanwhile, the edible cannabis side of the industry is only starting to ramp up. The makers ofCorona beer and Kim Crawford wines teamed up with Canopy Growth and expect to roll out cannabis-infused beer and wine. Budweiser partnered with Tilray, and Molson-Coors created their own joint venture with Quebec-based Hexo.
Cannabis-infused food and drink promises to open a whole new segment of the market. A recent report by Deloitte found 49 per cent of probable cannabis users in Canada are willing to try edibles. But that growth comes with a whole new batch of regulations and expectations.
Health Canada will require strict rules around shelf life and refrigeration. There will be specific rules around doses per serving. And that’s where Kevin Letun and Pacific Rim Brands hope to step in. His company has partnered with labs at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna and the British Columbia Institute of Technology to dig into the science behind all that.
“Because this is a brand new consumer product and it’s utilizing a schedule-1 drug that’s been illegal for the last 80 years, consumers are going to want to trust the brand that they’re going to be trying in the future,” said Letun.
Right now, Pacific Rim Brands is working on getting the specific formulations for these products. Once that’s completed, the company expects to start human testing to gather data. Essentially, the company is aiming to have formulations ready and approved this summer.
“Then, our goal is to look to either license these to existing beverage companies, potentially licensed producers or even develop our own brands,” said Letun.
Letun said edibles will prove to be a much larger segment of the industry than the current smokeable pot.
“In the next ten years, you’re going to see the smokeable cannabis (comprising) maybe only 10 to 20 per cent of the market,” he said.
He expects edibles and infused drinks will take off once legalized. And he said that will go well beyond cannabis-infused beer and wine.
“There are so many other applications on the medicinal side too, when it comes to sleep aids or sports recovery when it comes to inflammation, pain, sports recovery.”
Public consultations into the legalization of edible cannabis are open now and are expected to conclude at the end of February. As rules become more clear, the summer will see another surge on demand as companies look to get products ready for a market expected to open up on October 17.
It has only been three months since cannabis was legalized in Canada. There’s something to be said for the fact that the highest profile issue to stem from such an enormous change in drug policy is a lack of supply.
That issue is moving toward resolution, perhaps more slowly than expected.
Hamilton Ontario, Canada to Receive 4 of the 25 Cannabis Stores in the Ontario Cannabis Lottery
Shoppers Drug Mart starts selling medical marijuana online January 8th, 2019!
Doctors could tap ‘shrooms to relieve pain
Cannabis Lottery takes place this Friday – January 11th, 2019
What police are getting wrong about pot-impaired driving
Cannabis stores to be phased in with a lottery for licences, Ford government says
Why are so many countries now saying cannabis is OK?
Shoppers Drug Mart gets medical pot licence from Health Canada
Why three of Canada’s Big Cannabis firms scored low on corporate governance rankings
Canada is still using the military to eradicate illegal weed crops
Politics Briefing: Mexico the next in line to legalize cannabis
Ontario ombudsman gets more than 1,000 complaints about cannabis store
Ontario woman upset after legal cannabis shipment arrived late and mouldy
Russia Leads Anti-Drug Bloc’s Condemnation of Canadian Cannabis Legalization
Canada-wide cannabis shortages could last years, producers warn
How Canada Legalized Weed
It’s one of Justin Trudeau’s few policy wins, but he doesn’t deserve all—or even much—of the credit. SHARE TWEET
#TogetherWeDid ! ! !
Legal Cannabis in Canada October 17th!
Alison’s usual Battle Globally, Medical Cannabis …
Why Is Canada Giving All Its Weed Taxes to Cops?
Legal cannabis is here, it’s time to answer some burning questions – CBC NEWS
Tune in Tuesday for Second Part of this Series –
- WATCH: A special one-hour presentation of The National Conversation will air Tuesday Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on CBC News Network and streamed online
Story in the Globe and Mail by one of Alison’s Lawyers Alan Young …
Legalization is only the start: Canada must do right by its ‘cannabis criminals’
CBC Radio One – Toronto, Oct 13, 2018
Our Good Friend Robert “Rosie” Rowbotham talks about
Legalization In Canada on October 17, 2018
No pain is the biggest gain of all for psilocybin user Alison Myrden
Full Story from Psillow – Go to Alison In The News
A team of Johns Hopkins researchers is calling for magic mushrooms to be made legally available as medicine
First time Ever Globally with a Medical #MagicMushroom Authorization!
The Legalization Issue: From medpot to the next frontier – psychedelics as medicine
Full Story from Now Magazine – Go to Alison In The News
Ontario government to allow pot smoking wherever tobacco smoking allowed
Alison was Speaking at Guelph University on September 25, 2018
… at the Albert A. Thornbrough Building (Rm 1200) Professor Norman Dubeski Deviant Behaviour Class
New Clinical Study of Cluster Headaches, Investigating the Efficacy of Psilocybin, is Now Recruiting Participants
The science of psilocybin and its use to relieve suffering – YouTube
Drug danger chart shows which drugs you should never mix, and which you totally should
A Complete List Of The Punishments For Driving High On Marijuana In Every Canadian Province
Some provinces are more severe than others.
Lawyer urges B.C. Supreme Court to toss application to close medical marijuana dispensaries
Canada’s most storied pot felon ponders legalization
Our good friend Rosie Rowbotham … August 21, 2018
Rosie’s story – In The News
Cannabis users will drive into murky territory when they get behind the wheel
Read more here … In The News
Puff Jam August 10-12, 2018
Millgrove, Ontario
Alison will be speaking at 4:00 PM Saturday
Click Here – See all the Pictures from Puff Jam in the Gallery
Cannabis and Driving
August 9, 2018
With the soon to be Legal Cannabis in Canada there are many people concerned about Driving – Go to – Cannabis and Driving for the most recent articles and research
Alison SPOKE AT London, Ontario
at the Cannabis 101 Event
The BMO Centre – 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM EDT – Wednesday July 25th, 2018
For more Information Click Here – Cannabis 101 Event – London ON
History of cannabis in Canada: A timeline of the legalization movement
For more Information Click Here – Cannabis Timeline in Canada
Disability benefit recipients denied medical marijuana coverage
‘I look at all the medications I’ve taken over the years, and they don’t help like medical marijuana’
Story from CBC – Disability and Medical Marijuana Coverage
Toronto’s chief medical officer calls for decriminalization of all drugs for personal use
July 9, 2018
Read Story in The Globe and Mail – Decriminalization of all drugs for personal use
Legal Cannabis October 17th, 2018!
A biography of cannabis
Groovy, baby! The renaissance in psychedelic science is here
Great Article on Magic Mushrooms – Globe and Mail
Go to Research Page to read full story
Trudeau says pot will be legal as of Oct. 17, 2018 | CBC News
CBC – Cannabis Legal October 17th, 2018
Justice Minister warns cannabis is ‘not legal yet’
Story by Laura Stone – Globe and Mail
Bill Blair on amnesty re: #cannabis:
Bill Blair on amnesty re: #cannabis:
"The law remains in effect until it's repealed & replaced through Bill C-46…Any disc'n of those records can't take place until that process is complete"; says "we have a responsibility to uphold the existing law & we're doing that…" #C45 pic.twitter.com/MaXDNglEqq
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) June 20, 2018
Senate passes pot bill, paving way for legal cannabis in 8 to 12 weeks
Federal government’s bill legalizing recreational cannabis passes 52-29
Senate Passes Bill C45 (Cannabis)
Marijuana bill inches closer to passage with House vote
Bill C-45 now heads back to the Senate for another debate
Cannabis Bill Back to the Senate
Pot legalization battle brewing as government rejects key Senate change
Provinces’ right to ban homegrown cannabis emerging as key issue for some senators
The federal government is rejecting several Senate changes
Senate votes to pass legalization of recreational pot, amended bill now goes back to House of Commons …
Senate Passes Cannabis Legalization
Our Good friend Rosie Rowbotham in the Guardian …
I served 20 years for cannabis.
Now the police are cashing in on it
The same authorities who hounded dealers are now investors in cannabis – and there’s still no amnesty for past convictions. The hypocrisy is staggering
Over the course of my life, I have been convicted in four separate trials, sentenced to a total of 69 years in prison, and after many appeals served just over 20 of them – the first two in maximum security. I was finally released on parole in 1997.
Given the length of time I was incarcerated, you might be thinking that I was involved in hard drugs or violence. After all, some murderers do less time than I did.
But my crime? Conspiracy to import, possess and sell cannabis.
I brought in tons of hash from the Middle East and tons of pot from Jamaica, Mexico and Colombia. Toronto’s infamous Rochdale College was my home base. After my first trial, I told the judge: “I’m going to do it again” – and I did – but I can assure you I never got involved with any harder drugs, let alone anything violent. I was strictly a pot guy: a hippy capitalist from Belleville, Ontario, who wanted as big a piece of the North American market as he could get.
In jail, I saw myself as a prisoner of the war on drugs – one of the thousands of others who lost part of their future in the long, cruel and ultimately futile attempt to stop people from buying, selling and smoking weed.
Norman Mailer testified on my behalf at my first trial, Neil Young at my second. Young told the court that he took exception to the prevailing stereotype of deadbeat pot smokers who could never make a positive contribution to society, pointing out that he was a prodigious toker and yet he still likely paid more taxes than everyone else in the court room combined.
Now a new day is dawning in Canada – or so it seems. Possession of pot for recreational use is about to be legalized. Canadians will be able to possess up to 30 grams, buy it, share it, put it into edibles and grow a few plants.
To be honest, I’ve never considered myself to be a marijuana activist. I wasn’t a campaigner for legalization: I was making big money, and legalization would have been bad for my business.
I also don’t trust or respect politicians, especially when it comes to pot. In 1969, the prime minister, Pierre Trudeau, set up the LeDain Commission to study the pot scene in Canada. After hearing from thousands of Canadians, the report recommended cannabis possession be legalized. I was 18 at the time, a pot smoker and hopeful. Nothing happened.
Fifty years later, however, the war on pot is finally over, and my side has won. So why am I not celebrating?
Let’s start with the movement to grant amnesty to people with past cannabis convictions. I’m glad that the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has said he plans to “move forward in a thoughtful way on fixing past wrongs that happened because of this erroneous law”.
If the law is so “erroneous”, however, why is his government continuing to bust people for possession? In 2016, more than 17,000 Canadians were charged with a law that will soon disappear. Offering them amnesty would be a nice gesture, but the damage will have already been done. Why charge them in the first place?
And how would amnesty work? After legalization in their states, several US cities, including San Francisco, Seattle and San Diego, moved to expunge all records of felony convictions for cannabis possession. Will Canada do the same? If not, amnesty will be a hollow gesture. Even then, Canadians with pot convictions may still not be allowed to travel to the US because American authorities have their conviction records on file.
I’m also bothered by the fact that the government’s current plan is to bar people with pot convictions from participating in the huge marijuana economy that is now emerging. We have the expertise. We know how to grow high-quality plants. We have the distribution networks. The government’s policy is unfair, punitive and discriminatory: if it really believed in amnesty, it would let people with non-violent records for possession lead the way.
Instead, the government has turned the pot economy over to the people who lost the drug war: the cops and politicians who were responsible for destroying so many lives by turning pot smokers into criminals. They’ve been given the keys to the vault. They’ll be profiting from the same activities they used to prosecute. The hypocrisy is staggering.
Look at Julian Fantino, the former chief of the Toronto police service. In 2015, then a Conservative MP, Fantino declared his complete opposition to legalization, likening the decriminalization of marijuana to legalizing murder.
Today, he’s on the board of directors of Aleafia, a company that connects patients to medical marijuana. When asked about his change of heart on pot, Fantino replied that he had embarked on a “fact-finding mission” and discovered that marijuana was not the demon drug he once thought it was. Perhaps he should have done some fact-finding before he started tossing people in jail.
Also on the Aleafia board is Gary Goodyear, who held several cabinet positions in Stephen Harper’s government – the same government that proposed mandatory minimum sentences for anyone convicted of growing at least six marijuana plants. So is Raf Souccar, a former deputy commissioner of the RCMP whose portfolio included drug and organized crime enforcement. Former deputy Toronto police chief Kim Derry and ex-Ontario premier Ernie Eves are also members of the old law-and-order crowd who have rushed to cash in on the legalization of marijuana.
A simple amnesty is not enough. It should include an apology for ruining the lives of hundreds of thousands of people for no legitimate reason. They should be asking us to forgive them. I sentence them to have to live with themselves for the rest of their lives.
Rosie Rowbotham is a former producer at CBC Radio
Rosie Rowbotham in The Guardian
In case you missed this from 2017 … Click below
Study: Magic mushrooms are the safest drug
The legalization of marijuana in Mexico on political agenda
Mexico City, Mexico — Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism says it is necessary to legalize the use of marijuana to combat security, adding that it is a major topic in the upcoming July 1 elections.
The Secretary of Tourism of Mexico, Enrique de la Madrid, has returned to the topic, insisting that the country legalize marijuana, noting that each state should make its own decision.
It is the second time in which the minister delves into the issue in the middle of the electoral campaign. In January, he proposed to regularize consumption to stop the rampant violence in Baja California Sur and Quintana Roo, a pronouncement that generated huge controversy between the Mexican political class and society.
“I think that in Mexico we should move toward a regulation at the state level,” he said in an interview with Reuters in which he adds that he does not think it “logical” to use funds to persecute consumers of this substance when they should be used to combat kidnapping, rape or murder.
“Maintaining marijuana in illegality is giving money to drug traffickers,” he says. “And with that money what these gentlemen do is that they bribe more police, buy more weapons and are more violent,” the senior official says.
De la Madrid says, “If you want to kill criminal groups you have to weaken them,” by eliminating their sources of financial income.
“One of the ways is to legalize drug use. Some say it is not true. Yes it is true, it is logical,” he insisted.
Enrique de la Madrid said that to combat insecurity in tourist sites, it is necessary to regulate the use of drugs such as marijuana and strengthen police forces.
The legalization of marijuana has become one of the star themes of the upcoming presidential elections. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has always maintained that Mexico and the United States should not pursue divergent policies in this matter.
Many security experts question whether the increase in violence is related specifically to marijuana trafficking, where tourist hot spots such as Los Cabos and Cancun both saw deaths increase last year.
Shane King – True Cannabis Warrior Remembered
Skunk Magazine – Shane King Remembered
Click Here – Shane in Skunk Magazine
CNN – 8 PM EST …
Canada’s Liberal Party Wants to Decriminalize All Drugs As the Country Is Rocked by an Opioid Epidemic
Members of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party called on the government to decriminalize the consumption and possession of all illegal drugs.
The call was made as an opioid epidemic rocked the country and the number of opioid-related deaths continues to rise. Canada’s Public Health Agency estimated that around 4,000 people died from opioids last year.
Lawmakers have been taking a proactive approach to combating Canada’s opioid epidemic, greenlighting the opening of new supervised and safe injection facilities. In March, Canada’s federal government announced $150 million in emergency funding to increase access to drug treatment around the country.
But it’s unclear whether the Liberal Party advocates can succeed in obtaining complete decriminalization. Canada is already set to become the first of the world’s seven largest advanced economies to legalize marijuana consumption. Complete legalization was expected by July, but the government recently announced that there will likely be a delay. Trudeau has also signaled that he is not prepared to support the decriminalization of other drugs; meanwhile the country’s Conservative Party is vocally opposed to legalization of any kind.
Newsweek Story – Click Here
Potholes: The new fight over ‘drugged driving’
Marijuana will soon be legal in Canada. But a study from a Toronto doctor suggests the risks of pot-impaired drivers are, well, high
Story in the Toronto Star – Click Here
First FOUR Government run Cannabis Dispensaries to open in Ontario …
Story from The Globe and Mail – Click Here
Joint partnership: Second Cup coffee chain teams with cannabis company to open pot shops
Coffee company has 286 locations across Canada, and some could be converted to sell pot
CBC News – Click Here
What really helps Alison – Go Here!
Health Canada releases summary of comments from cannabis regulatory consultations
News release
Cannabis regulations will take a public health approach, including plain packaging and a warning symbol for cannabis products, to reduce their appeal to youth
March 19, 2018 – Ottawa, ON – Health Canada
The current approach to cannabis does not work. Despite the current prohibition, Canadians, and especially youth, are consuming cannabis in high numbers. The proposed Cannabis Act seeks to better protect the health and safety of Canadians, and to keep cannabis out of the hands of youth while keeping profits out of the hands of criminals and organized crime. The Act, together with the regulations that are being developed to support it, will strictly regulate the production, distribution and sale of cannabis, require industry to meet rigorous product quality standards, and prohibit promotion and advertising that is appealing to youth.
Today, Health Canada released a report that summarizes the feedback from its 60-day consultation on the proposed regulatory approach to cannabis. The Department heard from more than 3,200 Canadians and 450 stakeholders, existing licensed producers and prospective producers, provinces and territories, and Indigenous organizations. The report released today also provides details on two key elements of the proposed regulations: the definitions of micro-scale licences, and the requirements for packaging and labelling of cannabis products.
An evidence-informed, public health approach is being taken to the requirements for packaging and labelling of cannabis products to minimize their appeal to children and youth, protect against accidental consumption, and help inform consumers of the risks and harms of cannabis use. This approach is complemented by the ongoing public education campaign to educate Canadians, particularly youth and young adults, about the health and safety facts of cannabis.
The provinces and territories, industry and stakeholders indicated that they would need advance notice of regulatory requirements for packaging and labelling of products so that they would have sufficient time to manufacture, prepare and make available for sale compliant cannabis products before the coming into force of the proposed Cannabis Act.
Quotes
“We appreciate the input from the thousands of Canadians, provincial and territorial governments, and Indigenous organizations who participated in the consultation on the proposed approach to the regulation of cannabis. We are taking a public health approach to legalizing and regulating cannabis, and we are committed to keeping cannabis out of the hands of children and youth. Measures such as the packaging and labelling requirements announced today will help to achieve this goal.”
The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor
Minister of Health
“The input received from thousands of Canadians will continue to inform our approach to legalizing and regulating cannabis. We want to ensure that the cannabis regulations we are developing meet our objectives to keep cannabis out of the hands of children and youth, and enable a diverse, competitive legal industry comprising both large and small players across the country, and displacing the existing illegal market.”
Bill Blair
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and to the Minister of Health
“The evidence-based approach to plain packaging and labelling for cannabis products is part of a comprehensive public health approach to ensure that Canadians have the best information to make informed choices regarding the use of cannabis.”
Dr. Theresa Tam
Chief Public Health Officer of Canada
Quick facts
- Final regulations required to support the coming into force of the proposed Cannabis Act will be published in Canada Gazette, Part II, as soon as possible, following Royal Assent of the proposed Act.
- Despite the fact that cannabis is illegal, 12% of Canadians reported using it at least once in 2015, according to the latest Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey. That rate is even higher for young people, with usage as high as 21% among youth aged 15 to 19 and 30% among young adults aged 20 to 24.
Proposed Approach to the Regulation of Cannabis
Preface
On April 13, 2017, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-45, An Act respecting cannabis and to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Criminal Code and other Acts (the Cannabis Act) in the House of Commons. The proposed Cannabis Act would implement the 2015 Speech from the Throne commitment to legalize, strictly regulate, and restrict access to cannabis.
The Government of Canada has indicated that it intends to bring the proposed Cannabis Act into force no later than July 2018, subject to the approval of Parliament and Royal Assent. To support implementation of the proposed Act, regulations would need to be enacted in a range of areas, such as cannabis product standards and packaging and labelling requirements, to ensure that the risks and harms of cannabis are appropriately addressed under the legal framework.
In many cases, Health Canada is proposing to build upon established regulatory requirements that have long been in place for current producers of cannabis for medical purposes or industrial hemp. Enacting many of the same types of strict regulatory controls for production under the proposed Cannabis Act would allow for legal and quality-controlled products to be available by July 2018 and immediately begin to address the public health and safety risks posed by illegally-produced cannabis.
The purpose of this consultation paper is to solicit public input and views on the approach to these regulations. To meet the government’s commitment of bringing the proposed Cannabis Act into force no later than July 2018, the final regulations will need to be published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, as soon as possible following Royal Assent. As such, it is important that interested parties provide feedback on the regulatory proposals in this consultation paper, as draft regulations will not be pre-published. Instead, Health Canada intends to publish a summary of comments received, as well as a detailed outline of any changes to the regulatory proposal, which will continue to provide industry and stakeholders with as much information as possible on the proposed regulatory requirements.
Please note that references to the provisions of the proposed Cannabis Act made throughout this consultation paper reflect the version of the Act reported to the House of Commons by the Standing Committee on Health on October 5, 2017, and therefore, do not reflect any amendments that may subsequently be made.
Regulatory proposals set out in this consultation paper have been made for consultation purposes only, and should not be interpreted as representing the final views of the Governor in Council, the Minister of Health or the Government of Canada.
Health Canada thanks all stakeholders for the valuable contribution they have provided to date in the development of the proposed Cannabis Act and its supporting regulations, and for their continued participation in this next stage of consultations on regulatory proposals.
PDF for Downloading 75 pages – Click Here
Room to grow: Legalization means opportunities for pot companies big and small
Yahoo News – Click Here or In The News
BREAKING NEWS!
Trudeau government avoids defeat on key pot bill vote
Bill C45 passes Senate – Click Here and also In The News
Notice to the Media – Health Canada to report on the outcome of its public consultation on the Regulation of Cannabis
For more information – Click Here
Experts raise concerns about Ottawa’s planned crackdown on drug-impaired drivers
Read story from The Globe and Mail go to IN THE NEWS
America Is Giving Away the $30 Billion Medical Marijuana Industry
Read more on this very troubling story from American News Agency – Bloomberg.com go to IN THE NEWS
Canadian Cannabis Legalization: A Guide to Laws by Province – LEAFLY
This summer, Canada is set to legalize adult-use recreational cannabis nationwide. In the meantime, Canada’s provinces and territories are readying their cannabis regulations, with everything—from the minimum age for marijuana purchase to the prospect of online marijuana sales to restrictions on marijuana consumption and possession—being set independently by each province. Which provinces will permit citizens to grow cannabis at home? Which will allow co-habitation of alcohol and cannabis in retail stores? Here are the facts as they stand now. Stay tuned for updates, and click a name below to jump to that region’s regulations.
Alberta • British Columbia • Manitoba • New Brunswick • Newfoundland and Labrador • Northwest Territories • Nova Scotia • Nunavut • Ontario • Prince Edward Island • Quebec • Saskatchewan • Yukon
Alberta …
Provincial legislation: An Act to Control and Regulate Cannabis
Cannabis distributor: the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission
Retail sales: Cannabis will be sold in private standalone stores and through a government-run website. Cannabis stores may sell cannabis accessories (bongs, pipes, rolling papers), but co-location with alcohol is forbidden. No one under 18 may enter a retail cannabis store.
Minimum age for purchase: 18
Possession restrictions: Those 18 and up can possess up to 30 grams of cannabis in public. You can’t transport cannabis unless it is closed packaging that is out of reach of the driver and other occupants of the vehicle.
Consumption restrictions: No consumption on any hospital, school or child-care facility property. No consumption where cigarette smoking is prohibited.
Home-grow: Yes, up to four plants per household (although landlords and condo boards may be able to place restrictions on the practice).
Online sales: Yes, through the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission website.
Points of interest: No minor may enter any licensed premises that sell cannabis, and proof of age must be requested for anyone that appears 25 year of age or younger. There will also be a 100 metre buffer between stores and schools, school reserves, and provincial health care facility.
Population: 4.15 million
Number of brick-and-mortar cannabis stores: There’s no cap of the number of allowable stores—although the Alberta government assumes there will be 250 stores in the first year. No person or entity can hold more than 15 per cent of retail cannabis license, which would come to 37 stores.
British Columbia …
Provincial legislation: TBD
Cannabis distributor: the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch
Retail sales: Cannabis will be sold in both government-run stores and privately-owned stores, with no-cohabitation with alcohol permitted.
Minimum age for purchase: 19
Possession restrictions: Cannabis transported in a motor vehicle must be in a sealed package or inaccessible to vehicle occupants.
Consumption restrictions: Cannabis use will be generally allowed in public spaces where tobacco smoking and vaping are permitted. Smoking and vaping of non-medical cannabis will not be permitted in areas “frequented by children” such as parks, playgrounds, and community beaches. Cannabis consumption inside motor vehicles in forbidden. Local governments may set their own restrictions on consumption.
Home-grow: Yes, up to four plants per household (so long as the house is not also used as a daycare). Landlords and strata councils are able to place restrictions on or prohibit home cultivation.
Online sales: Yes, through a government-run website.
Point of interest: The government is indicating that Vancouver’s outlaw dispensaries, which the city has started to license, will be able to apply to continue selling cannabis, but the cannabis would have to be legally sourced. Also, the Council Chamber of Tofino, a district located on Vancouver Island, is set to debate a proposed zoning amendment on February 13 that would prohibit the use of any land or building for the sale, production, and distribution of cannabis. It’s unclear at this time if that it apply to home cultivation and if there would be an exemption for medical cannabis.
Population: 4.63 million
Number of brick-and-mortar cannabis stores: The province is placing no limit on the number of stores, but municipalities may limit or prohibit shops within their boundaries.
Manitoba …
Provincial legislation: the Safe & Responsible Retailing of Cannabis Act and the Cannabis Harm Prevention Act
Cannabis distributor: the Liquor and Gaming Authority of Manitoba
Retail sales: Cannabis will be sold in stores run by four licensed private entities that the province conditionally approved in February: Tokyo Smoke/Hiku, Delta-9 Cannabis/Canopy Growth, National Access Canada, and a fourth corporation that consists of Avana Canada, MediPharm Labs, and two First Nations communities.
Minimum age for purchase: 19
Possession restrictions: On moving boats, cannabis must be stored in a secure compartment.
Consumption restrictions: Consumption of cannabis in motor vehicles is prohibited.
Home-grow: Not permitted
Online sales: Yes. Private stores will be able to sell to residents of the province online.
Point of interests: The province’s request for proposals for private stores included a big emphasis on Indigenous ownership.
Population: 1.28 million
Number of brick-and-mortar cannabis stores: It’s not known how many stores each of the four entities will run, although it is likely they will each be able to run multiple stores.
New Brunswick …
Provincial legislation: the Cannabis Control Act and the Cannabis Management Corporation Act
Cannabis distributor: the Cannabis Management Corporation
Retail sales: Cannabis will be sold in stores operated by New Brunswick Liquor, under its new subsidiary CannabisNB. w Locations must be at least 300 metres away from schools, cannabis must be displayed under glass, and no overlap with alcohol sales permitted.
Minimum age for purchase: 19
Consumption restrictions: Can only be consumed in private dwellings with consent of occupant
Home-grow: Yes, up to four plants, which must be in a locked enclosure.
Points of interests: In private residences, personal-use cannabis is legally required to be kept under lock and key.
Online sales: Yes, through the CannabisNB website.
Population: 753,914
Number of brick-and-mortar cannabis stores: 20—three in Greater Moncton, two in each of Fredericton and Greater St. John, and one each in Oromocto, Bathurst, Miramichi, Sussex, St. Stephen, Rothesay, Edmundston, Sackville, Shediac, Richibucto, Tracadie, Perth-Andover, and Campbellton.
Newfoundland and Labrador …
Provincial legislation: An Act to Amend the Liquor Corporation Act
Cannabis distributor: the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation
Retail sales: Cannabis will be sold at privately owned stores, with no alcohol co-habitation permitted.
Minimum age for purchase: 19
Home-grow policy: Yes, up to four plants.
Possession restrictions: TBD
Consumption restrictions: Private residences only.
Points of interest: Ontario’s Canopy Growth has struck a supply and production agreement with the province, resulting in the company being given four retail-sale permits.
Online sales: Yes—through a government-run site at first, and through private retailers’ sites in the future
Population: 528, 448
Number of brick-and-mortar cannabis stores: TBD, but the licensed producer Canopy Growth will have four locations
Northwest Territories …
Provincial legislation: TBD
Cannabis distributor: Northwest Territories Liquor Commission
Retail sales: Cannabis will initially be sold through liquor stores.
Minimum age for purchase: 19
Possession restrictions: Cannabis in a vehicle must be unopened. Any unopened cannabis must be resealed and placed in a space in the vehicle inaccessible to others.
Consumption restrictions: Public smoking or vaping of cannabis will be banned in areas frequented by children and crowds, in vehicles, and anywhere tobacco smoking is prohibited.
Home-grow: Yes, up to four plants per household, but rental agreements and condominium bylaws can restrict cultivation.
Online sales: Yes, through a government-run website.
Point of interest: As they can with liquor sales liquor, communities will have the ability to hold referendums to place restrictions or prohibitions on cannabis.
Number of brick-and-mortar stores: TBD, although there are seven liquor stores and one liquor warehouse.
Nova Scotia …
Provincial legislation: The Safe & Responsible Retailing of Cannabis Act
Cannabis distributor: Nova Scotia Liquor Corp (NLSC)
Retail sales: Cannabis will be sold in NSLC stores, including existing NSLC liquor outlets
Minimum age for purchase: 19
Possession restrictions: TBD
Consumption restrictions: TBD
Home-grow: Yes, up to four plants.
Online sales: Yes, through the NSLC website.
Population: 942,926
Number of brick-and-mortar cannabis stores: TBD
Nunavut …
Provincial legislation: TBD
Cannabis distributor: Nunavut Liquor Commission
Retail sales: No retail sales are planned for 2018—the government wants to hear from communities first. The government is proposing to be allowed to outsource operations, such as sales, to privately-run “agents.”
Minimum age for purchase: 19
Possession restrictions: The government is considering limits on the storage of cannabis in order to limit stockpiling for the purpose of illegally reselling it. However, there will be no “dry” communities as there are with alcohol.
Consumption restrictions: No consumption in vehicles, school grounds, hospitals, health centre grounds, playgrounds, and any where else tobacco smoking is prohibited.
Home-grow: Yes, up to four plants per household, and the government is considering allowing landlords and condo associations to restrict the cultivation and use of recreational cannabis.
Online sales: Yes, through a government-run website.
Point of interest: The Western Convenience Store Association, representing over 7,000 such stores in Northern provinces including Nunavut, have lobbied the government to sell cannabis.
Population: 35,944
Number of brick-and-mortar cannabis stores: Zero in 2018
Ontario …
Provincial legislation: The Cannabis Act, 2017 and The Cannabis Retail Corporation Act, 2017
Cannabis distributor: The Ontario Retail Cannabis Corporation (ORCC)
Retail sales: Cannabis will be sold at standalone ORCC stores, with no co-habitation with alcohol products permitted.
Minimum age for purchase: 19
Possession restrictions: Cannabis may only only be transported in vehicles if it is “packed in baggage that is fastened.”
Consumption restrictions: No consumption in vehicle, enclosed public spaces, or workplaces.
Home-grow: Yes, up to four plants.
Online sales: Yes, through the Ontario Retail Cannabis Corporation website
Points of interests: The Ontario government is considering allowing cannabis consumption in hotel rooms—including recreational use.
Population: 13.6 million
Number of brick-and-mortar cannabis stores: 40 to start in July 2018, with 150 by 2020. Locations include Ajax, Barrie, Belleville, Brampton, Brantford, Cambridge, Chatham-Kent, Guelph, Hamilton, Lindsay (Kawartha Lakes), Kingston, Kitchener, London Mississauga, Niagara Falls, Oakville, Oshawa, Ottawa, Peterborough, Sault Ste. Marie, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vaughan, Waterloo, Whitby, and Windsor.
Prince Edward Island …
Provincial legislation: TBD
Cannabis distributor: PEI Liqour Control Commission
Retail sales: Cannabis will be sold at government-run stores, with no alcohol co-habitation permitted.
Minimum age for purchase: 19
Possession restrictions: Can only be transported in motor vehicles in unopened packaging, and where an open package is being transported it must be secure and inaccessible to anyone in the vhicle.
Consumption restrictions: Restricted to private residences, “with a potential for expansion to designated public spaces at a later date.”
Home-grow: Yes, up to four plants.
Online sales: TBD
Population: 152,021
Number of brick-and-mortar cannabis stores: Four, in Charlottetown, Summerside, Montague, and West Prince.
Quebec …
Provincial legislation: The Cannabis Regulation Act
Cannabis distributor: The Quebec Alcohol Corporation
Retail sales: Government-supplied cannabis will be sold in government-run stores, with no alcohol co-habitation permitted
Minimum age for purchase: 18
Possession restrictions: Youth who possess even a small amount of cannabis will be liable to a fine.
Consumption restrictions: Cannabis is prohibited in a number of enclosed spaces, including workplaces, post-secondary educational institutions, enclosed spaces where sports, recreational, judicial, cultural or artistic activities or conferences are held, as well as common areas of residential buildings comprising two or more dwellings.
Home-grow policy: Not permitted
Online sales: TBD
Points of interests: So far Quebec is the first province to limit possession in a private place to 150 grams, on top of the federal 30-gram public limit. Other provinces do not have a limit on private possession. Quebec Government’s House Leader is also locked in a battle with the federal government over home cultivation. Federal legislation allows such cultivation but the province of Quebec hopes to prohibit it within their boundaries.
Population: 8.215 million
Number of brick-and-mortar cannabis stores: 15 stores by mid-2018, with more than 150 within two years.
Saskatchewan …
Provincial legislation: TBD
Cannabis distributor: Licensed cannabis producers will sell directly to private retailers, with the market regulated by the Saskatchewan Liquor & Gaming Authority.
Retail sales: Cannabis from Canadian LPs will be sold in private-owned stores, with no alcohol co-habitation permitted
Minimum age for purchase: TBD
Possession restrictions: TBD
Consumption restrictions: TBD
Home-grow: Yes, although landlords and condo boards may be able to restrict the growing of cannabis.
Online sales: Yes, through retailers’ websites.
Points of interest: Provincial legislation will require cannabis being transported in a motor vehicle to be either in an unopened package, or secured in an inaccessible space (AKA the trunk)
Population: 1.13 million
Number of brick-and-mortar cannabis stores: 60
Yukon …
Provincial legislation: The Cannabis Control and Regulation Act
Cannabis distributor: The Yukon Liquor Corporation
Retail sales: Government-supplied cannabis will be sold first in government-run stores and later in privately-owned stores. Neither will allow cohabitation with alcohol.
Minimum age for purchase: 19
Possession restrictions: A person possessing cannabis must take reasonable measures to ensure that a young person cannot access the cannabis.
Consumption restrictions: Consumption to privately-owned residences and adjoining properties where permitted by the owner.
Home-grow: Yes, with the mandate that plants must be out of public view
Online sales: Yes, through a government-run website.
Points of interests: Private retailers must be approved by the province’s Cannabis Licensing Board
Population: 35,874.
Number of brick-and-mortar cannabis stores: 1 to start