The Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- Adults 18 and older will be able to legally buy
and cultivate small amounts of marijuana for personal use, while selling
the drug to a minor will become a serious new criminal offence under
the federal Liberal government's proposed new legal-pot regime.
A suite of legislation introduced Thursday would, once
passed, establish a "strict legal framework" for the production, sale,
distribution and possession of pot, and make it against the law to sell
cannabis to youth or use a young person to commit a cannabis-related
crime.
New penalties would range from a simple police citation to 14 years behind bars.
"If your objective is to protect public health and safety
and keep cannabis out of the hands of minors, and stop the flow of
profits to organized crime, then the law as it stands today has been an
abject failure," Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told a news
conference.
"Police forces spend between $2 billion and $3 billion every
year trying to deal with cannabis, and yet Canadian teenagers are among
the heaviest users in the western world ... we simply have to do
better."
The new law would allow adults 18 and over to possess up to
30 grams of dried cannabis or its equivalent in public, share up to 30
grams of dried marijuana with other adults and buy cannabis or cannabis
oil from a provincially regulated retailer.
They would also be permitted to grow up to four plants per
residence for personal use, as well as make legal cannabis-containing
products at home.
The government says it intends to bring other products,
including pot-infused edibles, into the legalized sphere once federal
regulations for production and sale are developed and brought into
force.
Under the proposed Cannabis Act, it would remain illegal to
import cannabis and cannabis products, and to export them without a
valid permit. Permits may be issued for certain purposes, such as
medical cannabis and industrial hemp.
It would also be against the law to sell cannabis in a
package or with a label that could be construed as appealing to young
people, to include testimonials or endorsements, or to depict a person,
character or animal.
The government also aims to establish "significant
penalties" for those who engage young Canadians in "cannabis-related
offences" and a "zero-tolerance approach" to drug-impaired driving,
along with a "robust" public awareness campaign.
The RCMP and the Canadian Border Services Agency plan to
work together, along with local police, to uphold laws governing illegal
cross-border movement of cannabis.
Goodale made a point of noting the existing laws remain in
effect until the new legislation is formally proclaimed the law of the
land.
"As the bill moves through the legislative process, existing
laws prohibiting possession and use of cannabis remain in place, and
they need to be respected," he said.
"This must be an orderly transition; it is not a free for all."
Provinces, territories and municipalities would be able to
tailor rules for their own jurisdictions, enforcing them through
mechanisms such as ticketing.
They will also be permitted to set their own licensing,
distribution and retail sales rules, establish provincial zoning rules
for cannabis businesses and change provincial traffic safety laws as
they deem necessary.
Philpott says criminalizing cannabis has not deterred use
among young people, noting products like alcohol and tobacco are legally
available with restrictions.
Once passed, the Liberal bills introduced today would make
Canada the first member of the G7 to legalize marijuana for recreational
use across the country.
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