A clear majority of Canadians want the
federal government to issue pardons to fellow citizens who have a
criminal record for marijuana possession, a new poll has found.
The
survey stands to buttress the call of marijuana activists, lawyers and
politicians who argue that the old criminal records will be a legal
anomaly once marijuana is legalized for recreational use by all adults.
The federal government tabled legislation
last month that aimed to legalize marijuana by the middle of next year.
Despite widespread pressure, the government has refused to call on law
enforcement to stop charging marijuana users with simple possession
while the legislation goes through Parliament, or to promise an amnesty
for past convictions after the adoption of the new law.
According
to a poll by The Globe and Mail/Nanos Research, however, 62 per cent of
Canadians support or somewhat support the calls for a pardon for every
person with a criminal record for marijuana possession. By comparison,
35 per cent of respondents said they oppose or somewhat oppose the move.
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau said at a public forum organized by Vice Canada
last month that the current system was unfair, leaving vulnerable and
marginalized Canadians more likely to end up with criminal records than
those from privileged backgrounds. However, he stopped short of
promising an amnesty.
“We’ll take steps
to look at what we can do for those folks who have criminal records for
something that would no longer be criminal,” Mr. Trudeau said.
Last
year, a C.D. Howe Institute report urged the government to pardon
everyone who has been convicted of marijuana possession, pointing out
even a minor possession conviction severely limits a person’s ability to
work and travel.
“If you have a
criminal conviction, it automatically disqualifies you from a number of
positions,” said Anindya Sen, the University of Waterloo economics
professor who penned the report. “That’s just economic waste. You have
people on social assistance who could otherwise be employed and
contribute to the economy.”
Estimates
vary on the number of people with simple possession convictions in the
country. Tens of thousands of Canadians have been charged with marijuana
possession every year since the 1970s.
In 2015, police reported 49,000
cannabis possession offences.
The Nanos
survey also found that 8 per cent of Canadians said they currently do
not use cannabis, but will do so once it becomes legal.
By
comparison, 73 per cent of Canadians said they are not users and will
not start after the legislation is adopted, and 12 per cent said their
current usage will remain at the same level even if the product is
legalized.
Only 1 per cent of respondents characterized themselves as current users whose consumption will go up in the legal regime.
Asked
about their confidence in Health Canada’s ability to test the safety
and potency of Canada’s marijuana supply, 61 per cent of respondents
expressed confidence, compared with 35 per cent who had doubts.
The
Nanos survey was conducted between April 29 and May 5, reaching a
random survey of 1,000 Canadians that is considered accurate within 3.1
percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The
legislation known as Bill C-45 would lift the prohibition on the
recreational use of cannabis that goes back to 1923, positioning Canada
as a leading country on the relaxation of laws related to illicit drugs.
If adopted as planned by the summer of 2018, Canada will become the
first G7 country – and the second in the world after Uruguay – in which
cannabis use is legal across the land.
The
legislation would allow all Canadians 18 or older (older still
depending on the province) to buy marijuana by mail and in provincially
regulated retail spaces, or to grow up to four plants at home.
The
possession limit of dried cannabis would be set at 30 grams, while
edible cannabis products would be legalized at a later date.
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