Opinion
Cannabis legalization in Canada: the case for pardons and preferential licensing
By Akwasi Owusu-Bempah Jan. 22, 2018
This law, and many that followed, had a considerable negative impact on the very groups that their proponents so often purported to help. At a time when Canada once again stands at the forefront of international drug law, we should set an example to the world by providing redress for the harms we now know we have inflicted.
The federal government also recently announced a plan to spur a 'diverse and competitive' industry by establishing different tiers of licences required for participation in the legal market, writes Akwasi Owusu-Bempah. The Hill Times file photograph
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s proposed date for legalizing the recreational use of cannabis is fast approaching and the Senate is debating Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act. Given the social harms associated with drug prohibition, legalization cannot come soon enough. We also need to go further and right past wrongs by pardoning those convicted of minor cannabis offences and by giving preference to those most targeted by Canada’s war on drugs when we issue cultivation and distribution licences.
Related Stories
Explore, analyze, understand
Inside Ottawa Directory – 2019 Edition
The handy reference guide includes: riding profiles, MPs by province, MP contact details, both Hill and constituency and more.
Get the book
The handy reference guide includes: riding profiles, MPs by province, MP contact details, both Hill and constituency and more.
Get the book
Sharp Wits & Busy Pens
Sharp Wits & Busy Pens, written by current and former Parliamentary Press Gallery reporters, tracks the evolution of political journalism in Canada
Get the book
Sharp Wits & Busy Pens, written by current and former Parliamentary Press Gallery reporters, tracks the evolution of political journalism in Canada
Get the book
The Federal Response to the Opioid Crisis
This e-book summarizes the work on the opioid crisis that is going on at the federal level: what the House of Commons and the Senate have been listening to and acting on to help stop and mitigate this tragedy.
Get the book
This e-book summarizes the work on the opioid crisis that is going on at the federal level: what the House of Commons and the Senate have been listening to and acting on to help stop and mitigate this tragedy.
Get the book
Related Policy Briefings
Cannabis
Short and informative analyses on policy challenges that bring background and recommendations to policymakers, journalists and the general public.
Read policy briefing
Short and informative analyses on policy challenges that bring background and recommendations to policymakers, journalists and the general public.
Read policy briefing
Politics This Morning
Your email has been added. An email has been sent to your address, please click the link inside of it to confirm your subscription.
Central votes ‘balloon’ under Liberals, a ‘misuse’ of the spending tool, says Conservative MP
MPs are right to question the ‘trend’ towards central votes that give government’s flexibility on spending, says PBO.Indigenous Affairs Committee votes down motion to call Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs
'It’s a question of the Crown and its relations with Indigenous people and chiefs. It’s not a question of getting their views to a parliamentary committee,' says Green parliamentary leader Elizabeth May. Guilbeault says feds ‘absolutely prepared’ to make tweaks to feds’ media aid package
Plus, the heritage minister says recommendations made by an expert broadcast review panel will be used to inform a forthcoming government bill, which he expects to table before the House rises this summer.Canada returns to ‘complex’ spending system, after ‘failed’ attempts at reform
The current budget system is an ‘embarrassment’ still in need of a revamp, say critics who hope a minority Parliament will give opportunities for opposition feedback and a better system.Feds eyeing ‘social-distancing’ measures in response to growing concerns over coronavirus outbreak, health official says
Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne says there's no plan to repatriate those asking to be repatriated from Iran amid the coronavirus outbreak.Lead up to Buffalo Declaration ‘disingenuous’ to Alberta, national caucus, says Conservative MP Kusie
Pollster Nik Nanos called the release of the declaration 'a bit of a veiled threat, especially considering no one was given a heads up and it just came right out of the blue.'‘A fundamental reset’: pollsters, Indigenous experts call for re-examination of feds’ approach to reconciliation
'There’s no solution here that gives the hereditary chiefs what they want that doesn’t blow the underpinnings of the Canadian regulatory process for reviewing infrastructure,' says pollster Greg Lyle.MPs still figuring out feedback, as key decisions await Centre Block renovation project
The three-member working group set up by the House Board of Internal Economy in 2019 to oversee Centre Block’s renovation was disbanded with the last Parliament, and discussions are now underway on its successor. American presidential election could define new U.S. envoy Aldona Wos’ time in Ottawa, say analysts
Aldona Wos is the second straight top Republican donor from a southern U.S. state that U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated as ambassador to Canada. Trending Stories
