Marijuana legal in ontario?

[kevin92]

I've heard from a few people, that pot is essentially legal in ontario, based on a recent court ruling, I was wondering if someone can confirm this?


Digg - Marijuana legal in Ontario, Canada....AGAIN...

Judge rules Canada's pot possession laws unconstitutional

Does this in fact mean it is legal for the time being, and has there been any updates on that case?

 

[Mary420juana]

I've heard from a few people, that pot is essentially legal in ontario, based on a recent court ruling, I was wondering if someone can confirm this?


Digg - Marijuana legal in Ontario, Canada....AGAIN...

Judge rules Canada's pot possession laws unconstitutional

Does this in fact mean it is legal for the time being, and has there been any updates on that case?

its not legal just decriminalized under 30 grams.. you would just get a fine.. but med Mj is legal though.. but extreamly hard to get.. your condition has to be labelled "no cure" or " not treatable"

i got busted with 15.5 grams a few years back in windsor and just got a $350 fine

I was also caught with 15 unflowering mj plants... that got me a cultivation charge but because they werent in flower i didnt get the cultivation with the intent to traffic... whew.. coulda been in real trouble..

 

[kevin92]

Ohhh okay, I follow. Do you think it'll stay decriminalized, or they'll set up some new law soon to make it fully illegal again?

 

[Mary420juana]

Ohhh okay, I follow. Do you think it'll stay decriminalized, or they'll set up some new law soon to make it fully illegal again?

to my understanding it never was "fully legal" not sure the what was behind that, will ask my hubby when he gets home.. he has all the brains and reads all the papers.. but it has been decriminalized for a number of years now... was 7 yrs ago that i got the fine so i doubt that the decriminalizing will go away but legal...i dont know.. from what i hear the rest of canada is waiting to see if BC can make it work before any major changes are made... but i dont know whats going on in BC...lol so i could be wrong.. will get hubbys 2 cents on this when he gets home in the morn .. he loves politics over breakfast

personally i think the bigger issue we need to deal with here over the MJ laws is the Ban they are trying to put on CKC breeds of dogs , pitbulls mainly..anyone that owns a pitbull here is a criminal.. even if they are knowledgable about the breed and trained it properly.. cops are luring pits out of their yards and apprehending them as "loose" and they are being killed because the cop says " he tried to bite me" BULL SHIT... anyway need to let that out.. with elections on oct 10 there could be a few big changes around here so ya never know... (provincial elections)

 

[Mary420juana]

thats just like a cop...singeling a certain race out...in this case its pitbulls...pitbulls are beautiful dogs

my sentiments excactly, they are putting down full litters of puppies, any pit that existed b4 the ban has to be muzzled at all times in public, they are not allowed anywhere, All pits must be neutered and no new pits are allowed in the city, (i think its happening ontario wide,, amoung other places around the world) and thats excactly what it is... RACISM. they should be educating people that want to own dogs b4 they ever get one and after that it is solely on the owner of the dog, i think its stupid that i have to take a course to serve alchol but i can buy a deadly weapon (a dog) with no knowledge at all.. the government is taking the easy way out and discriminating the dogs and not the ignorant people owning them.. again thanks for letting me vent.. is a hot button with me **puff puff pass**

 

[Mary420juana]

** Mary420Juana's Hubby's 2 cents**
CBC news CANADA
Last Updated: Saturday, September 29, 2007 | 9:24 PM ET

The Canadian Press

Tories plan get-tough national drug strategy
Health Minister Tony Clement will announce the Conservative government's anti-drug strategy this week with a stark warning: "The party's over" for illicit drug users.
"In the next few days, we're going to be back in the business of an anti-drug strategy," Clement told The Canadian Press. "In that sense, the party's over."
Shortly after taking office early last year, the Conservatives decided not to go ahead with a Liberal bill to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana.
Since then, the number of people arrested for smoking pot has jumped dramatically in several Canadian cities, in some cases jumping by more than one third.
Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa and Halifax all reported increases of between 20 and 50 per cent in 2006 of arrests for possession of cannabis, compared with the previous year.
As a result thousands of people were charged with an act that, under the previous Liberal government, was on the verge of being decriminalized.
Police forces said many young people were under the impression that the decriminalization bill had already passed and were smoking up more boldly than they've ever done before.
Clement says his government wants to clear up the uncertainty.
"There's been a lot of mixed messages going out about illicit drugs," Clement said in an interview Saturday after a symposium designed to bring together Canada's arts and health communities to combat mental health issues.
There's also a health-care cost element to suggesting to young people that using illicit drugs is OK, the minister said.
"The fact of the matter is they're unhealthy," Clement said. "They create poor health outcomes."
Wrong message

For too long, Clement argues, governments in Canada have been sending the wrong message about drug use. It's time, he says, to take a tougher approach to dealing with the problem.
"There hasn't been a meaningful retooling of our strategy to tackle illicit drugs in over 20 years in this country," Clement said.
"We're going to be into a different world and take tackling these issues very seriously because (of) the impact on the health and safety of our kids."
The Conservatives' wide-ranging $64 million anti-drug strategy is expected to combine treatment and prevention programs with stiffer penalties for illicit drug use, and a crackdown at the border against drug smuggling.
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day will join Clement in announcing the plan as part of a range of initiatives to be unveiled by the Tories surrounding next month's throne speech.
'Enforcement is harm reduction'

Clement has suggested in the past that he opposes so-called harm-reduction strategies for combatting illegal drug use, including safe-injection sites where nurses provide addicts with clean needles and a safe place to use drugs.
At a Canadian Medical Association meeting last month, he was quoted saying "harm reduction, in a sense, takes many forms. To me, prevention is harm reduction. Treatment is harm reduction. Enforcement is harm reduction."
The following day, a petition signed by over 130 physicians and scientists was released, condemning the Conservative government's "potentially deadly" misrepresentation of the positive evidence for harm reduction programs.
Vancouver's Insite safe injection clinic is facing a December 31 deadline for the renewal of a federal exemption that allows it to operate.
Advocates say safe-injection sites help to prevent the spread of serious diseases, including AIDS and hepatitis by preventing users from sharing needles while opponents say the sites simply promote illegal drug use.

 

[jickler]

i got busted with 15.5 grams a few years back in windsor and just got a $350 fine

Did they take your weed away?

 

[Mary420juana]

Did they take your weed away?

yes.. and i found it funny that i had just bought an ounce and was only charged with 15.5 grams... but i didnt argue. what was even funnier is that i got out of holding and went home to find that they didnt search the place for any more after they found what i got charged with... so all my stash spots were stil stocked.... good thing too i really needed a puff after that night

 

[Mary420juana]

Prevention and punishment focus of new drug law

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has announced a two-pronged anti-drug campaign, focusing on prevention for users and harsher penalties for producers.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces his government's long-awaited anti-drug strategy as Health Minister Tony Clement looks on in Winnipeg, Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / John Woods)

At the heart of the announcement was the introduction of mandatory sentences for people convicted of serious drug charges.

"Currently there are no minimum prison sentences for producing and trafficking dangerous drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine," Harper said Thursday. "These are serious crimes. Those who commit them should do serious time."

The announcement was part of a strategy providing $63.8 million over two years to prevent illegal drug use in young people, treat people who have drug addictions and fight illegal drug crime.
The new law, to be introduced by the minority government when Parliament resumes in October, was touted as a balance between prevention and punishment.

Harper outlined the plan in Winnipeg alongside Health Minister Tony Clement and Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day.

Harper said about two-thirds of the new funding will go towards prevention and treatment for those caught in the world of drugs and want to get out.

"Interdiction by itself is not going to be enough," Harper said. "We need new laws to free them from drugs when they get hooked."

Harper said for too long, governments had sent "mixed messages" about the prohibition of drugs, referring to a failed Liberal-government motion to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana possession.

"It's time to get straight with Canadians so Canadians can get straight, because narcotics destroy lives," he said.

Funding for prevention
On Thursday, Clement praised the announcement for focusing on the safety of Canada's children.
"One day they'll grow up to be successful adults," he said. "But sadly, all of this could be put at risk when young people are offered drugs before they are mature enough to grasp the magnitude of the consequences of their actions."

He said the new policy will put an emphasis on educating Canadians, especially young people and their parents, about the negative effects of illicit drugs.

Prevention and treatment methods to be financed include:

• A national awareness campaign targeted at youth and parents
• Modernization of treatment services
• Development of new treatment options
• Expansion of treatment programs for addicted youth
• New funding for provinces and territories to expand rehabilitation facilities
• New funding for a National Youth Intervention Program, so police can get young drug users more quickly into assessment and treatment programs

The government will also invest $9.6 million per year with The Community Initiatives Fund, which will offer financial assistance to communities and organizations that address factors that lead to illicit drug use, Clement said.

During the announcement, Harper said that the government currently spends $1.2 billion each year on substance abuse programs. Regardless of this, drug use among teens and young people is rising.

Funding for punishment
Thursday's announcement included $21.6 million to fund the battle against drug producers and traffickers, Day said.

The Conservative government said tens of billions in dollars worth of drug profits are used to fund other criminal activities, making drug trafficking a highly lucrative business in Canada that fuels personal greed by exploiting the addictions of other people.

"There are people out there who know very well what they're doing," Day said. "They are very cognizant that they destroy lives, and that does not stop them from what they do."

Along with mandatory minimum sentences, new steps will include:

• More funding for officers and prosecutors focused on drug crime
• More resources for identifying and closing down grow-ops and manufacturing sites
• Cracking down on drug smuggling across the border, including better awareness for border officers
• New legislation to control substances and chemicals commonly used in drug production

Canada will also share information with officers in Seattle and New York in relation to the cross-border drug trade, Day said.

Harper did not outline what the mandatory minimums would be, or what serious drug offences they would be implemented against.

He said that would be done by the health minister closer to its announcement in parliament.

Marijuana use
The Conservatives quashed a bill from the previous Liberal government decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana shortly after coming to power last year -- despite support for the resolution in the House of Commons from every other party.

Since then, drug-related arrests have spiked dramatically across the country with a number of Canadian cities reporting arrest increases by more than one-third.

Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa and Halifax all reported increases of between 20 and 50 per cent in 2006 of arrests for possession of cannabis, compared with 2005 statistics.

Police forces claim many people believed the Liberal bill had passed, prompting users to spark up in public without fear of reprisal.

As a result, thousands of people were charged with criminal offences that would have been classified as a misdemeanour under the previous Liberal government.

Legal experts argued earlier this year that inconsistencies in Canada's marijuana laws made it difficult for the justice system to handle the sudden influx of possession cases brought before the courts under the Conservative government's new focus on enforcement.

Other critics claim the crackdown on marijuana is a waste of taxpayers' money and some drug-dependency experts have also challenged the notion that the substance is a 'gateway' to harder drugs.
They argue that marijuana actually keeps users from experimenting with other drugs.
With files from The Canadian Press