B.C.'s chief medical officer joins call to legalize pot

[eskachig]

Dr. Perry Kendall, B.C.'s chief provincial medical health officer, has joined four former Vancouver mayors and four former B.C. attorneys-general in calling for an end to the criminalization of marijuana.

Kendall and Nova Scotia chief medical health officer Dr. Robert Strang issued a statement today calling on the federal government to enact a health-based strategy towards cannabis. Ottawa should also evaluate taxation and regulation strategies instead of continuing an "ineffective" drug law enforcement approach, they said.

"The fact cannabis is illegal doesn't diminish access rates. The so-called war on drugs has not achieved its stated objective of reducing rates of drug use. It's universally available in B.C. and the supply is controlled largely by criminal enterprise," Kendall told The Sun.

"It should be regulated just like alcohol and tobacco. It [cannabis] is less addictive than either of those."

...

"Advocating for drug policy reform has traditionally been politically unpopular, but a recent Angus Reid poll estimated that 50 per cent of Canadians already support legalization of cannabis," the paper states.

The authors note that nearly 94 per cent of the estimated $426 million spent on Canada's drug strategy in 2001 went to law enforcement.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/n...7-4cecdfcb4321

Come on, America's hat. Do it!

[w0nder]

about time...

[memfisa]

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/n...7-4cecdfcb4321

Come on, America's hat. Do it!

If Canada is America's hat, is the USA Americas underwear, Mexico Americas socks and Saint Pierre and Miquelon is Americas mole?

Anyway, the feds are pushing through the omnibus crime bill, im not sure if it entails legalizing marijuana, but it does bring mandatory minimums for offences (which BTW is an absolutely fvcking brilliant idea ), and specifically mentions a crackdown on marijuana growers and trafficers.

He's out to lunch

[shermbodius]

I am down with legalizing Mary Jane. I don't use it, but if they tax it and follow California's example why not. Better the states get the money other than the cartels and it's not going away.

[Yeti2424]

I am down with legalizing Mary Jane. I don't use it, but if they tax it and follow California's example why not. Better the states get the money other than the cartels and it's not going away.

California's example is retarded. Under the guise of "medical use" a group of high school kids can more easily buy it for their friday nights. I've got 3 disensaries in my complex and most of their sales are cash and go unreported. Plus the majority of their product comes from illegal sources (mexico) as its less expensive. (their words not mine)

[eskachig]

California's example is retarded. Under the guise of "medical use" a group of high school kids can more easily buy it for their friday nights. I've got 3 disensaries in my complex and most of their sales are cash and go unreported. Plus the majority of their product comes from illegal sources (mexico) as its less expensive. (their words not mine)

Meh, here in SF, everything sold has to be state-grown, and sales are tracked pretty strictly (and most people pay with debit cards). They don't really fudge on the rules, because staying in business is a license to print money, and they don't want to mess it up (likewise, their words not mine). Most high school kids aren't 18 either.

But finding weed was never particularly hard anyway, even in the days before prop 215, generally far easier than beer.

All in all, Cali's medical program hasn't affected usage in teens or adults, it pretty much stayed the same. An interesting side effect is that nobody I know has any 'real' drug hookups anymore - every time anyone needed mushrooms, etc the thing to do was to ask your weed guy. Now that's gone.

[Yeti2424]

Meh, here in SF, everything sold has to be state-grown, and sales are tracked pretty strictly (and most people pay with debit cards). They don't really fudge on the rules, because staying in business is a license to print money, and they don't want to mess it up (likewise, their words not mine). Most high school kids aren't 18 either.

But finding weed was never particularly hard anyway, even in the days before prop 215, generally far easier than beer.

All in all, Cali's medical program hasn't affected usage in teens or adults, it pretty much stayed the same. An interesting side effect is that nobody I know has any 'real' drug hookups anymore - every time anyone needed mushrooms, etc the thing to do was to ask your weed guy. Now that's gone.

If it were truly a prescription it would be given out at pharmacies not dispensaries though. As for 18 usually it's a car full of kids that pull up. One gets goes in and buys while the rest wait in the car. One of my biggest issues is the guise of medical use.