lol cant expalin when you HAVE NO CLUE

Now this IS some truly funny chit!


Canada needs to explain balance between UN treaties, legal cannabis: experts


OTTAWA -- Opposition parties and legal experts are urging the Liberal government to be clear on how it plans to handle the legalization of cannabis while Canada remains party to three UN treaties that control and criminalize drug access, noting failure to provide clarity soon could cause confusion on the world stage.

Canada needed to give notice on July 1 if it intended to withdraw from the treaties and stick to its plan to legalize marijuana by this time next year, said Steven Hoffman, a York University professor who specializes in global health law.

It didn't, and Hoffman said he is concerned about the message this sends.

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"The lack of clarity around how the federal government is going to address its international legal obligations under the UN drug control treaties is concerning given it sends the message to countries around the world ... that our international law obligations are not at the forefront of our minds," Hoffman said.

"Canada is one of the world's leading countries, a member of the G7, a country that everyone looks up to ... what we do and the consequences of us violating international law are very different than the consequences of other countries ... it is a big deal if Canada breaks international law."

Canada is currently one of more than 185 parties to three United Nations drug-control conventions -- the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.

Documents obtained early last year by The Canadian Press detailed how all three treaties require the criminalization of possession and production of cannabis, noting Canada must explore how to inform the international community of its plans to legalize marijuana and review steps to adjust obligations under these conventions.

The federal government is examining a range of issues related to the legalization of cannabis, including international commitments, said a spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.

"We are committed to working with our global partners to best promote public health and combat illicit drug trafficking," Adam Austen said in a statement.

But NDP health critic Don Davies said Freeland is failing to acknowledge the government will no longer be in compliance with the treaties once cannabis gets the legal green light.

"I think it is the norm in our country to respect those agreements and to make sure we are in compliance so the only responsible course of action would have been to notify the UN of our intention to withdraw from those treaties," he said.

Canadians expect a clearer, more responsible approach from Ottawa on the legalization of marijuana, he added.

Conservative foreign affairs critic Peter Kent said these decisions should have been made public weeks ago.

"We encourage our international partners -- democracies and non-democracies -- to respect treaties to the letter," Kent said in an interview.

"If Canada, for whatever reason, finds itself in violation, that is a sad day."



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After a long session in Parliament working hard on legislative affairs, we have finally hit summer weather where the real work begins: reconnecting with constituents that sent me to Ottawa and ensuring that all of your issues are well represented and defended in the House of Commons.

I know that in your working and busy lives you cannot possibly follow all the things that have happened in the spring parliamentary session, so I appreciate this opportunity to give an update on some of the highlights.

As the lead on the Justice and Attorney General file for the NDP, I have been kept busy with a lot of legislation that ranges from updating and improving our sexual assault laws to the legalization and regulation of recreational cannabis.

We have been debating changes to the impaired driving laws and the implementation of a cannabis regulatory system this past month. We will start extended committee sittings in the early fall where we will interview and question hundreds of experts about any amendments or clarifications we can make to the legislation.

It is reprehensible that despite legalization becoming a reality, we are still using valuable and over-stretched police and justice resources to criminalize Canadians for simple possession of small amounts of marijuana. This law is being unequally enforced across the country, and it largely targets young and racialized Canadians.

There have been thousands of Canadians charged with simple possession since the Liberals took over from the Harper government despite promising to legalize the drug.

My NDP colleagues and I will continue to push the government to immediately remove criminal penalties for simple possession and then push for pardons for those who have been convicted in the past just for having small amounts of cannabis in their possession.

I have not been shy to applaud the government when they get things right, but I have been raising important questions on your behalf about the coming changes.

The Liberals have been very secretive as to what they plan to do with the three international anti-drug treaties that Canada is party to, which obligate us to keep cannabis illegal. The government had until July 1 of this year to withdraw from these treaties in order to successfully legalize cannabis by July 1, 2018 without sullying our international reputation.

I believe that we should not speak out of both sides of our mouth when dealing with the international community. We should not promise to keep something illegal while moving legalization in the light of day. We should be honest about our intentions because if we are willing to mislead the international community on this, questions may be raised on what other issues Canada can be trusted on.

When it comes to the changes to the impaired driving laws, there are many questions that remain unanswered. We do not yet know how much cannabis needs to be in the body for a person to be too impaired to drive, and we are unsure if the devices that test cannabis levels can work in cold temperatures.

The last thing we want to be doing is arresting and charging drivers who are not impaired because they have cannabis residue in their system from the previous week, an issue the government must confront if they are planning on legalizing the recreational use of the drug.

There are also issues with the proposed changes that would give police the power to test any person in their car for alcohol consumption without any reasonable suspicion that they are impaired. In our study at committee, I will be asking civil rights experts about the possible Charter of Rights and Freedoms implications of such a change.

This has been a busy session of parliament and the future only shows more hard work on your behalf.

I will be out across the riding all summer long, so please come and share your thoughts with me either at my offices in Duncan and Langford or any time you see me out at a community event.

Clarity?

"Canada no longer intends to criminalize Cannabis manufacture, distribution, possession, or use.. Any treaties to the contrary are hereby voided."

That would be pretty clear. I think. Of course that isn't Canada's position at all.

It's more like "Canada intends to monetize, for a select few, the manufacture, distribution, and use of Cannabis and related substances, for profit. Canada will continue to prosecute illicit (non-monetized) Cannabis in all forms".