It couldn’t have been better timing – the Liberals announced they will be introducing legislation to legalize and regulate marijuana on April 20, or 4/20, the same day pot smokers celebrate their drug of choice.
Thousands of pot smokers took to Mount Royal Wednesday to mark the counterculture holiday. The news that the government will present its plan in spring 2017 was more than welcomed by the attendees of the 4/20 rally, who applauded the government for moving ahead on a campaign promise.
“There are legitimate concerns among the detractors, but one of the stated aims, even from this government, is to restrict young people’s access to marijuana. Under legalization, we’ll be able to set age limits for the sale of marijuana products, we’ll be able to regulate its quality and guarantee products are a known potency and purity,” said Adam Greenblatt, executive director of Santé Cannabis, the province's first medical marijuana clinic.
Greenblatt spoke specifically about young people because there has been evidence that marijuana can in some cases trigger schizophrenia or psychosis in young people who are genetically predestined to those illnesses. The government says it will legalize or regulate access, it will not make it legal to sell it to minors and it will not be legal to drive under the influence.
“I’m not sure it’s a good thing but I’m not quite sure it's a bad thing, either. I think it's good to get it out of the underground and make sure it's more followed in terms of quality, because I don't think the kids these days really know what it is they're smoking, or what the long-term effects are going to be. But at the same time, I’m a mother. I never want to see my kids running around smoking dope all the time,” said one woman.
