Ed Prutschi Talks About New Marijuana Legislation & Drug Offences

Hopes were high when Justin Trudeau first proclaimed that the federal government would be legalizing marijuana. But after Ontario’s own announcement of their provincial regulations over it, the cannabis’ community hope’s are crushed.

Recreational use will be prohibited from all public spaces, meaning smoking up is limited to private residences. An even greater concern is the new, and likely unconstitutional, powers being granted to police. They now have the power to search any vehicle and anyone inside to make sure no one is driving while stoned.

Medical users don’t have much more freedom. They’re still restricted on self-medicating in any enclosed public spaces. It put Toronto in an odd spot where opioid addicts can use heroin at a safe injection site, but a person in real pain cannot use their medication in public because it’s cannabis.

The risk is that unnecessary or extensive ticketing will further clog the already clogged courts over drug offences. That’s nothing compared to the harsh dispensary monopoly the province has set up. Illegal dispensaries, their employees, and their landlords can face fines up to $250,000 and two years in jail. Corporate fines go even higher.

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