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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Canada: The cannabis question Shannon Martin Winnipeg Free Press Friday 22 Sep 2017 Since the election the federal Liberals have set a date of July 1, 2018 as the date for implementation. Unfortunately for the provincial governments, tasked with deciding how the product will be distributed, sold, where it can be consumed and what the minimum age for purchase will be, the date is coming fast. Too fast, according to the premiers of Canada, who at their annual summer meeting asked the federal government to delay implementation. It is worth noting that the call from the premiers to extend the deadline came from governments representing all three major parties, from the NDP to the Progressive Conservatives to the Liberals. This is not about scoring cheap partisan points or starting a fight with Ottawa. Instead it is about legitimate concerns — in particular the provinces want clarity on road safety and enforcement, preparation and training on distribution, taxation, public education, and supply and demand and how that might impact the black market. It is not just the premiers asking the federal government to press pause. Just this month, Canada’s police services indicated that there is no chance that they will be ready to enforce new laws, in particular, that there has not been enough public education and not enough police have been trained on roadside drug impaired driver testing. These are all legitimate concerns and while many are of the view that legal marijuana will somehow be a cash cow for governments, nothing could be further from the truth. Experts have even suggested that the long-term social costs will far outweigh any short-term financial gains. With the federal government is unwilling to extend the date for implementation, the views of Manitobans become even more important. To that end, as part of our upcoming budget process we have included several questions related to marijuana policy. They include questions on the setting of price, how available it should be, what the underlying goals of government be when setting the rules and what the legal age for purchase/consumption should be. The survey can be found at www.gov.mb.ca/makingchoices/survey.html and your participation will ensure that we get one of the single largest societal changes since prohibition right and reflective of what Manitobans want. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/headliner/forum/The-cannabis-question-446896273.html
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