Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
We hate to be buzz kills, but marijuana is still illegal, so having municipalities licensing medicinal weed dispensaries is jumping the gun.
Medical marijuana advocate Marko Ivancicevic spoke to Regional council last week, urging them to begin the process and arguing that within "the next year or so" dispensaries will be legal. But the Durham councillors merely listened and took no action.
As Oshawa Councillor Nancy Diamond noted, it's premature, like driving 80 kilometres per hour in a 50km zone and telling the police officer who pulled you over that the speed limit is changing to 80 next month. A municipal council, she said, cannot vote to break the law.
And that's at the heart of the issue: marijuana isn't legal yet. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised his government will make it so, and indications are that legislation to that effect is coming next spring. It will probably happen, but in October 2016, it hasn't.
One can argue the benefits of medicinal marijuana and how dispensaries will be licensed to portion it out, but the federal government first has to legalize marijuana. It's like the flow of government money in this country: it goes from the feds to the provinces and then to municipalities.
In recent months, six Durham dispensaries opened and five were shut down by Durham Regional Police.
It's a tricky situation for municipalities, who have been put in a tough spot, with illegal dispensaries popping up, their owners arguing that the federal government is legalizing bud. But, ultimately, towns and cities have the perfect reply: 'marijuana isn't legal yet, and we can't give businesses the rubber stamp to distribute it at this point'.
Provincial politicians have told federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould they are concerned about the effect legalization would have on road safety. It became a major issue after marijuana became legal in Colorado.
And when and if marijuana is legalized and dispensaries are allowed to operate, there are a number of issues to be worked out first, since the federal, provincial and municipal governments would all be involved.
So while the signs point to the legalization of marijuana at some time in the future, it's not here yet and towns and cities and regions cannot go ahead and license dispensaries.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Municipalities Cannot License Marijuana Dispensaries Yet
Author: Staff
Photo Credit: Glen Stubbe
Website: Durham Region
Medical marijuana advocate Marko Ivancicevic spoke to Regional council last week, urging them to begin the process and arguing that within "the next year or so" dispensaries will be legal. But the Durham councillors merely listened and took no action.
As Oshawa Councillor Nancy Diamond noted, it's premature, like driving 80 kilometres per hour in a 50km zone and telling the police officer who pulled you over that the speed limit is changing to 80 next month. A municipal council, she said, cannot vote to break the law.
And that's at the heart of the issue: marijuana isn't legal yet. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised his government will make it so, and indications are that legislation to that effect is coming next spring. It will probably happen, but in October 2016, it hasn't.
One can argue the benefits of medicinal marijuana and how dispensaries will be licensed to portion it out, but the federal government first has to legalize marijuana. It's like the flow of government money in this country: it goes from the feds to the provinces and then to municipalities.
In recent months, six Durham dispensaries opened and five were shut down by Durham Regional Police.
It's a tricky situation for municipalities, who have been put in a tough spot, with illegal dispensaries popping up, their owners arguing that the federal government is legalizing bud. But, ultimately, towns and cities have the perfect reply: 'marijuana isn't legal yet, and we can't give businesses the rubber stamp to distribute it at this point'.
Provincial politicians have told federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould they are concerned about the effect legalization would have on road safety. It became a major issue after marijuana became legal in Colorado.
And when and if marijuana is legalized and dispensaries are allowed to operate, there are a number of issues to be worked out first, since the federal, provincial and municipal governments would all be involved.
So while the signs point to the legalization of marijuana at some time in the future, it's not here yet and towns and cities and regions cannot go ahead and license dispensaries.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Municipalities Cannot License Marijuana Dispensaries Yet
Author: Staff
Photo Credit: Glen Stubbe
Website: Durham Region
