Pot Laws Stand...For Now

[zydeco]

Well the "Highest"(no pun intended) Court in the land has spoken this morning. In a 6-3 decision the Supreme Court of Canada has basically ruled that there is no constitutionally enshrined right to smoke pot in Canada. The question before the court, simply stated, was: Does the prohibition against the possession of pot for personal use infringe the Charter of Rights? Not surprisingly the court said NO, and furthermore, if the law is to be changed - it's upto Parliament to do so. It's your move Mr. Martin! Anybody have any lucid thoughts?

 

[BSR]

Until they can basically eliminate the circle of farmers/cultivators that already grow the stuff, and monitor the sale of MJ, there is nothing to think that they ever will legalize it. What they'll more than likely do, is turn a blind eye to it, until it becomes a problem, or until they figure out how to actually sell it retail.

 

[zydeco]

Elf - I guess lucidity is a relative term!

 

[BigWaders]

I still think parliament will proceed with de-criminalization.

If you think about it, the court merely said that if government WANTS to they can deny the right to smoke. That means government can decide if it should be criminal or simply an illegal activity with a fine (like speeding)

It really just places the decision on parliament (where it should be anyway)

 

[TravellingGuy]

make it harder to produce - increase the price to levels that new consumers are discourage. I quess time will tell who has the best and least costly way of handling the problem.

Wether or not to view it as a 'problem' is at the root of the issue. Similar to the prohibition on alcohol, how can we continue to persecute our own society for something that is feared due to mass miseducation and fear-mongering. Eventually MJ will be decriminalized/legalized because society has accepted it, perhaps not now, but in another 10-20 years, with more and more people smoking it, with more and more true education, about the uses and side affects, thats when things will change.

I do see them going after the growers, but not necessarily to eliminate the 'problem', but to eliminate the competition. Drive the prices higher? Damn weed is so cheap to produce now and yet so expensive (depending on the quality/quantity you are buying you'll be paying around $60-70 per quarter or $200 per ounce, thats anywhere from $8 - $10 per joint (assuming a moderate 1 gram - 1.5 gram joint). So thats the 'blackmarket' rate right now, lets say the government succeeds in targeting the production, that will lower the supply and increase the demand, and then when the 'blackmarket' prices are up to $400 per ounce (similar to the US) then they can put out the 'legal' varieties which will then be taxed to hell but still cheaper, lets say at $300 ounce.

Pure speculation of course, but I could see the above happening as well. Although it would still bevery difficult to control, growing your own supply of weed is pretty simple, one or two plants to suffice.

 

[E_B_Samaritano]

A quick question here ladies and gentlemen for all those of you in favor of decriminalizing pot. What happens when a user of this stuff gets a stash that is laced with say yet another high powered halucinagen. I have no issue with decriminalizing the stuff for personal use. The problem is with a tacit government sanction of this drug, the government then becomes responsible for insuring that whomever supplies the drug, does so to a standard that the government can certify as safe. Medical marijuana is so certified.

Now of course any effort to decriminalize it, and then go after the producers is just as ass backwards as the outright criminalization of the drug in the US. Yes users do get penalized in higher proportion than producers, but producers face felony charges as opposed to misdemeanors. I can agree that the real benefit of decriminalization would allow the resources to be used to locate the growers. But I would argue that there are no dedicated resources for the purpose of finding the small fry individual users. So I don't see decriminalization having any additional negative impact on the production side of the equation. Not that I necessarily agree with the US government's stance on decriminalization in Canada. But just know that this administration will react with strong sanctions against Canada should there be any move to loosen the laws. The fact is that far more of that BC bud winds up in the states as it is. Decriminalizaion would simply encourage those who produce the crop to produce more and perhaps even create a greater demand in Canada.

EBS