VIANARCHRIS
Well-Known Member
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-colorado-marijuana-legalization-ganley-1.3819654
Alberta's justice minister says marijuana has not been a "cash cow" for Colorado, but neither has it led to widespread criminal activity.
Kathleen Ganley travelled to Colorado late last week to talk to U.S. officials about how they dealt with the legalization of marijuana in their state.
The priority for the province, Ganley says, is to get a regulatory framework in place to ensure that pot stays out of the hands of children, and that our roadways remain safe from impaired drivers.
"It really did highlight the number of different systems that have to move together on this," Ganley said, citing heath, justice, fire safety, zoning, and regulation of the plants themselves.
However, she said Colorado didn't experience any of the "dramatic" changes that many were predicting back when the U.S. state legalized cannabis in January 2014.
The AG & Dir of Leg Affairs welcomed Alberta, Canada’s Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley to the office. Talking about marijuana legalization. pic.twitter.com/fd5Dafa8a2
— @COAttnyGeneral
"It didn't solve all of the problems or become a cash cow the way some of the proponents would suggest," she said. "But it also didn't result in some massive upswing in criminal behaviour the way some detractors suggest," she added.
Tax revenues raised were sufficient to cover the cost of enforcement, she said, with some money left over to cover smaller projects at a municipal level.
The Homestretch
What Alberta can learn from Colorado about legalizing marijuana
00:00 07:44
Ganley said the much-cited statistic about impaired driving cases doubling is overblown.
"The number of those impaired charges based on marijuana [compared to] alcohol are so miniscule … that it's not having that huge an impact," Ganley told The Homestretch on Monday afternoon.
Ganley travelled to Colorado on Thursday with one staff member. The cost of the three-day trip is estimated at just over $4,000.
Alberta's justice minister says marijuana has not been a "cash cow" for Colorado, but neither has it led to widespread criminal activity.
Kathleen Ganley travelled to Colorado late last week to talk to U.S. officials about how they dealt with the legalization of marijuana in their state.
The priority for the province, Ganley says, is to get a regulatory framework in place to ensure that pot stays out of the hands of children, and that our roadways remain safe from impaired drivers.
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"It really did highlight the number of different systems that have to move together on this," Ganley said, citing heath, justice, fire safety, zoning, and regulation of the plants themselves.
However, she said Colorado didn't experience any of the "dramatic" changes that many were predicting back when the U.S. state legalized cannabis in January 2014.
The AG & Dir of Leg Affairs welcomed Alberta, Canada’s Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley to the office. Talking about marijuana legalization. pic.twitter.com/fd5Dafa8a2
— @COAttnyGeneral
"It didn't solve all of the problems or become a cash cow the way some of the proponents would suggest," she said. "But it also didn't result in some massive upswing in criminal behaviour the way some detractors suggest," she added.
Tax revenues raised were sufficient to cover the cost of enforcement, she said, with some money left over to cover smaller projects at a municipal level.
The Homestretch
What Alberta can learn from Colorado about legalizing marijuana
00:00 07:44
Ganley said the much-cited statistic about impaired driving cases doubling is overblown.
"The number of those impaired charges based on marijuana [compared to] alcohol are so miniscule … that it's not having that huge an impact," Ganley told The Homestretch on Monday afternoon.
Ganley travelled to Colorado on Thursday with one staff member. The cost of the three-day trip is estimated at just over $4,000.
