Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould has refused to issue a directive to Crown counsel to stop charging Canadians for possession of cannabis.
TRAVIS LUPICK
There's another absurdity to this story.
Back in 2002, a Canadian Senate special committee on illegal drugs issued a report on cannabis legalization after exhaustively studying this subject.
Yes folks, the Canadian Senate has already examined this issue.
It proposed a licensing scheme to produce cannabis with a THC content of 13 percent or less.
In addition, its 55-page report endorsed amnesty for those who've been convicted of possession of cannabis.
Its recommendations, including amnesty, were ignored by successive federal governments.
In 2016, the first full year after Trudeau became prime minister, 17,733 people in Canada were charged with possession of cannabis.
That's 17,733 people whose lives have been profoundly affected because elected and unelected officials couldn't countenance people smoking a joint when even the prime minister has admitted to doing this in the past.
Even today, the Justice Department, headed by Vancouver Granville Liberal MP Jody Wilson-Raybould, refuses to direct Crown counsel to stop charging Canadians for possession of cannabis.
https://twitter.com/KirkTousaw/status/964515010339790854
KirkTousaw
@KirkTousaw
Before would be good. In the meantime can @JusticeCanadaEN please direct crown to stop approving charges for simple possession? Simple way to stop unjust criminalization. https://twitter.com/senharder/status/964245270010642432 …
10:01 AM - Feb 16, 2018 · Cowichan Valley E, British Columbia
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Finally earlier this year, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters that the government was considering amnesty for cannabis possession. But Goodale refused to provide a time frame or offer any details.
If this moves at the same pace as cannabis legalization, some of those with possession convictions will be dead before they can clear their name and travel without being hassled.
In 2002 the Senate committee also recommended amending the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to permit personal production of cannabis for personal use.
Canadians only received the right to grow marijuana for medical purposes in 2015 after a lengthy and expensive court fight.
That came 13 years after the Senate report had been issued, only thanks to the hard work of a legal team that included John Conroy and Kirk Tousaw.
What's happening now in the Senate is a continuation of the reefer madness that has gripped this country for decades.
Thse senators ought to be ashamed of themselves.
But there doesn't appear to be any shame in Canada's unelected upper house.
Not when its members are serving on corporate boards even though their job includes reviewing legislation and making recommendations that affect Corporate Canada.
Not when one of them claimed residency in one province while holding a health card in another.
Not when they've been ripped to shreds by the auditor general for the way they charge expenses to taxpayers.
And certainly not as they delay legislation, ensuring more Canadians keep getting charged for consuming a product that's far less harmful than the alcohol that some of these same senators enjoy during their lengthy breaks.
TRAVIS LUPICK
There's another absurdity to this story.
Back in 2002, a Canadian Senate special committee on illegal drugs issued a report on cannabis legalization after exhaustively studying this subject.
Yes folks, the Canadian Senate has already examined this issue.
It proposed a licensing scheme to produce cannabis with a THC content of 13 percent or less.
In addition, its 55-page report endorsed amnesty for those who've been convicted of possession of cannabis.
Its recommendations, including amnesty, were ignored by successive federal governments.
In 2016, the first full year after Trudeau became prime minister, 17,733 people in Canada were charged with possession of cannabis.
That's 17,733 people whose lives have been profoundly affected because elected and unelected officials couldn't countenance people smoking a joint when even the prime minister has admitted to doing this in the past.
Even today, the Justice Department, headed by Vancouver Granville Liberal MP Jody Wilson-Raybould, refuses to direct Crown counsel to stop charging Canadians for possession of cannabis.
https://twitter.com/KirkTousaw/status/964515010339790854
KirkTousaw@KirkTousawBefore would be good. In the meantime can @JusticeCanadaEN please direct crown to stop approving charges for simple possession? Simple way to stop unjust criminalization. https://twitter.com/senharder/status/964245270010642432 …
10:01 AM - Feb 16, 2018 · Cowichan Valley E, British Columbia
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Finally earlier this year, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters that the government was considering amnesty for cannabis possession. But Goodale refused to provide a time frame or offer any details.
If this moves at the same pace as cannabis legalization, some of those with possession convictions will be dead before they can clear their name and travel without being hassled.
In 2002 the Senate committee also recommended amending the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to permit personal production of cannabis for personal use.
Canadians only received the right to grow marijuana for medical purposes in 2015 after a lengthy and expensive court fight.
That came 13 years after the Senate report had been issued, only thanks to the hard work of a legal team that included John Conroy and Kirk Tousaw.
What's happening now in the Senate is a continuation of the reefer madness that has gripped this country for decades.
Thse senators ought to be ashamed of themselves.
But there doesn't appear to be any shame in Canada's unelected upper house.
Not when its members are serving on corporate boards even though their job includes reviewing legislation and making recommendations that affect Corporate Canada.
Not when one of them claimed residency in one province while holding a health card in another.
Not when they've been ripped to shreds by the auditor general for the way they charge expenses to taxpayers.
And certainly not as they delay legislation, ensuring more Canadians keep getting charged for consuming a product that's far less harmful than the alcohol that some of these same senators enjoy during their lengthy breaks.
