February 24 to 26, 2016
CBC TV, CTV News Channel, CBC Radio, Vancouver Sun and The Globe and Mail
John Conroy, President of Norml Canada, Craig Jones, Executive Director of Norml Canada and Kirk Tousaw, Pacific Regional Director of NORML Canada comment on Allard v. Canada.
#allard
NORML Canada
(Ottawa, Ontario – February 23, 2016) — The federal government should instruct police forces and Crown Prosecutors across Canada immediately to halt all criminal investigations, charges and prosecutions related to simple possession of marijuana while it proceeds with its initiative to legalize the plant, according to Canada’s oldest advocate for the reform of cannabis laws.
“Since everyone agrees that is well past time to end the criminalization of cannabis,” Dr. Craig Jones, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in Canada (NORML Canada) said, “and the only point of discussion left is how to do it, it seems cruel to continue criminalizing more Canadians.”
“It is like refusing to fix a leaking faucet because you intend to renovate the bathroom … one day soon. It just doesn’t make sense.”
According to Dr. Jones, the government has identified several “stumbling blocks” to immediate legalization — which formed a major plank in its policy platform in its 2015 election campaign and an important promise in its Speech from the Throne — and claims it must resolve these issues before it can proceed with legalization.
These so-called stumbling blocks were identified in the Liberal Party’s January 2013 discussion paper, “Legalization of Marijuana – Answering Questions and Developing a Framework” (https://bc.liberal.ca/files/2013/01/DRAFT-Marijuana-Policy-Paper-Jan-13.pdf), which also provided practical ways to overcome obstacles such as those related to international conventions to which Canada is signatory.
“I urge all Canadians with an interest in stopping the further criminalization of Canadians for using cannabis – and particularly those in the Senate who will be meeting tomorrow to discuss this topic — to read the Liberal Party’s policy paper on legalizing marijuana,” Dr. Jones said. “It answers most, if not all, the questions that have been raised about how best to proceed. Once it stops needlessly criminalizing Canadians, the Government can then take the time it needs to work out the details and enact legislation.”
“Why not take the millions of dollars it takes to investigate, prosecute and incarcerate people for a crime no one thinks should exist and invest that money on government programs and services that actually help people?”
This is at least the third time that a political party/government has promised to stop criminalizing Canadians for cannabis use (1979 Progressive Conservative Party election platform; the Liberal Government Throne Speech; the 2015 Liberal Party election platform / 2015 Liberal Government Throne Speech), according to Dr. Jones.
“What Canadians need is for the government to declare an immediate moratorium and get on with it,” Dr. Jones said. “What we don’t need is more study leading to a concept for a proposal for a framework for a green paper leading to a white paper leading to …”
Dr. Jones will be attending the Senate Open Caucus on Marijuana Legalization on Wednesday 24 February and will be available for interviews following the meeting.
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For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Dr. Craig Jones, PhD
Executive Director
NORML Canada
(613) 331-1712
[email protected]
NORML Canada President, “John Conroy QC is an Abbotsford-based lawyer who specializes in marijuana law: wrote on February 22, 2016:
We have just been notified that Mr. Justice Phelan of the Federal Court Trial Division will be rendering his decision in the Allard case on Wednesday morning at 9 AM
February 19, 2016
Dear Senators:
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in Canada (hereafter NORML Canada) is this country’s oldest NGO advocating for drug policy reform – reform that brings drug policy into compliance with scientific evidence and best practices. NORML Canada worked hard to elect the Trudeau Liberals on the basis of the government’s […]
Our discussion is not only open to all parliamentarians, but also to the public, who are welcome to attend in person or follow along and contribute via social media at @LibSenate on Twitter.
If you would like to attend, please contact Mike Delaney at [email protected]
The serious concern is the panel does not include any drug policy reform organizations like NORML Canada, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition or Canadian Harm Reduction Network.
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in Canada (NORML Canada) is a non-profit, public interest, volunteer operated, publicly funded organization, chartered at the federal level in Canada since 1978.
NORML Canada seeks through government lobbying, public education, and member mobilization to end the criminal prohibition on cannabis use and cannabis growing. NORML Canada believes that the criminal prohibition on cannabis has been harmful, expensive, ineffective and unjust.
http://norml.ca/
http://drugpolicy.ca/
http://canadianharmreduction.com/
