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Legalization of marijuana in Canada: read RCI’s reports

Legalisation of marijuana in Canada : read RCI’s reports

According to the federal government’s plan, by July 1st next year, marijuana will be legally available for recreational use in Canada. Even though the Liberal government was elected in 2015 on a platform that included the promise to legalize marijuana, the project raises many concerns, namely about health risks, road safety, taxation, training for distributors and public education. Read Radio Canada International recent reports on this topic.

Ottawa agrees to give provinces 75 per cent of pot tax revenues

By Levon Sevunts, Tuesday 12 December, 2017

Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau holds a news conference after meeting with his provincial counterparts in Ottawa on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017.
© CP/Sean Kilpatrick

The federal government and the provinces struck a deal Monday on how they plan to share tax revenues from legalized marijuana, which Ottawa hopes to price at about $10 a gram to shut down the black market… read more

Marijuana impairment a concern for drivers

By Lynn Desjardins, Thursday 7 December, 2017

Drivers in Ontario believe there will be an increase in marijuana-impaired driving and there may be more collisions once the drug is legalized in Canada in July 2018. That is one finding from a survey conducted for the Canadian Automobile Association of South Central Ontario.read more

Nearly half of Canadians want Ottawa to delay July 1 pot legalization deadline

By Levon Sevunts, Thursday 30 November, 2017

© CP/Darryl Dyck

While two-thirds of Canadians support Ottawa’s plans to legalize marijuana, close to half say the federal government should push back the July 1, 2018 deadline for legalization, according to a new poll by the Angus Reid Institute… read more

Canadian airports relax attitude on medical marijuana

By Marc Montgomery, Friday 20 October, 2017

Passengers in the Toronto Pearson Airport in 2013. Inspection agents have changed policy on calling police when marijuana is found.
© Mark Blinch- The Canadian Press

Marijuana is still illegal in Canada, except if you have a prescription to possess small amounts for medical reasons. Previously, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority agents (CATSA) would call the police when a passenger was found in possession of marijuana… read more

Marijuana legalisation: Construction industry worried

By Marc Montgomery, Wednesday 11 October, 2017

Some experts say even having smoked marijuana the day beforecan affect performand is dangerous jobs like construction where things like balance, reflexes and judgement all come into play
© Todd Korol/Reuters

With the legalization of cannabis to be announced on or near July 1, next year, many industries are very concerned about impairment on the job. It is well-known that the construction industy is fraught with dangers requiring workers to be alert at all times…. read more

Smoked pot? What happens to travellers at the U.S. border

By Marc Montgomery, Wednesday 20 September, 2017

Canada may soon legalise cannabis, and some U.S. states have legalised it, but it’s still consdiered a federal criminal offence at the U.S border. Answering their questions about pot smoking could lead to a delimna with serious repercussions for Canadians.
© CBC

Canada is about to legalise marijuana for recreational use. That means that by summer 2018, vast numbers of Canadians will openly smoke cannabis and no longer be involved in a criminal activity.   Many will cross into the U.S on vacation… read more

Almost legalised marijuana in Canada: a grey zone and confusion

By Marc MontgomeryTuesday 25 July, 2017

A woman smokes a joint during the annual 420 marijuana rally on Parliament Hill in April 2016. The government announced in 2017 that it would make recreational marijuana legal by July 2018.
© Justin Tang/Canadian Press

Canada’s official statistics gathering agency Statistics Canada, says that marijuana related offences reported by police are declining. As the deadline approaches for legalisation in July 2018, the plant and drug remain illegal for recreational use, but with coming legalisation a sort of grey zone has developed… read more

Medicinal and recreational marijuana: keep them apart say researchers

By Marc MontgomeryThursday 20 July, 2017

 The date is fast approaching for legalization of marijuana, Government and police agencies are trying to work out distribution and controls. Medicinal users want to be kept separate from reacrational users.
© CBC

The federal government says it wants to have legislation in place making marijuana legal by July 1st, 2018. As that deadline approaches, police agencies and provincial leaders across thecountry continue to hold various meetings to discuss how to deal with issues like government control and distribution, and intoxication related to driving… read more

Showdown over marijuana brewing between Ottawa and provinces

By Terry HaigThursday 20 July, 2017

© PC/Jason Franson

Canada’s premiers and territorial leaders have wrapped up their Council of the Federation meeting in Edmonton where they discussed NAFTA renegotiations, a boycott of the meeting by some Indigenous groups and what has become a contentious issue: the federal government’s July 1, 2018 deadline to legalize marijuanaRead more

Early, heavy cannabis use linked to psychosis risk

By Lynn DesjardinsFriday 7 July, 2017

A new study suggests that adolescents who go from occasional to frequent use of marijuana increase their risk of having recurrent psychotic-like experiences by 159 per cent. One author of the study say this is “a major public health concern” as the government plans to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in July 2018 read more

Medical marijuana use and impaired driving laws

By Marc MontgomeryMonday 3 July, 2017

The Canadian government is proposing legislation regarding levels of impairment for marijuana and driving. A medical marijuant users rights group says medical users are different from recreational users and dffects of marijuana are not the same.
© David Donnelly/CBC)rci

There is much discussion about the coming legalisation of marijuana in Canada, expected in about a year. Certainly some of that discussion involves levels of intoxication/impairment and driving… read more

Weedon, Quebec getting a new industry

By Carmel KilkennyWednesday 28 June, 2017

Pancarte affichant le nom de la ville de Weedon
© Radio-Canada

Weedon, Quebec now knows what’s in a name, and it’s translating into the construction of a 1.5 million-square-foot cannabis production facility. The connection to one of the nicknames for the plant is bringing the small town a new employer in advance of the legalisation of marijuana on July 1st, 2018… read more

Premier, academics signal concern over legalizing pot

By Lynn DesjardinsMonday 19 June, 2017

© Shutterstock

The Canadian government plans to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in July 2018 but there is concern about the plan coming from political and academic quarters. The finance minister in the western province of Manitoba says the date should be extended to examine questions like safety, enforcement and supplyread more

Government says roadside drug tests work

By Lynn Desjardins,Tuesday 6 June, 2017

© CBC

As it prepares to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, the Canadian government says it has found two roadside tests can successfully identify drug-impaired drivers. Impaired driving is a criminal offense in Canada. The pilot project involved the collection of 1,140 oral fluid samples by 53 police officers across Canada. The officers reported the devices were easy to use in all conditions... read more

Medical journal says pot law will harm youth

By Lynn DesjardinsMonday 29 May, 2017

© PC/Darryl Dyck

“The bill as it is written should not pass,” says Dr. Diane Kelsall, editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. She has authored an editorial expressing her concern that the proposed new law would “increase harm to young people. ”The federal government’s Bill C-45 would legalize the recreational use of marijuana and would make the minimum age for the purchase of pot 18. “We know that brains continue to develop till about the age of 25,” says Kelsall… read more

Employers anxious about marijuana in the workplace

By Lynn DesjardinsFriday 21 April, 2017

© Mark Blinch/Reuters

The Canadian government will soon legalize the recreational use of marijuana but employers say it has failed to take steps to prevent its use in the workplace. Employers in Canada are legally obliged to ensure the safety of their workers, yet they are not usually allowed to do random tests to make sure employees are not impaired by drugs or alcohol. That leaves them between a rock and a hard place… read more

Students want pot revenues spent on mental health, addiction help

By Lynn DesjardinsThursday 23 March, 2017

© Jeff Chiu

Some students at the University of Alberta want the government of their western province to take revenue raised from the sale of marijuana and spend it on mental health and addiction initiatives. The Canadian government is planning to legalize the recreational use of marijuana soon and the tax on sales will fatten the coffers of provincial and territorial governments.read more

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