C45 passes in the senate

Senate passes pot bill, paving way for legal weed in 8 to 12 weeks
Federal government's bill legalizing recreational consumption of cannabis passes by vote of 52 to 29
Peter Zimonjic · CBC News · Posted: Jun 19, 2018 7:27 PM ET | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

Sen. Peter Harder, Government Representative in the Senate, laughs in response to a reporter's question about his outfit, after the vote on Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act in the Senate on Parliament Hill in Ottawa Tuesday. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
Senators have voted to pass the federal government's bill legalizing recreational marijuana by a vote of 52 to 29, with two abstentions, paving the way for a fully legal cannabis market within eight to 12 weeks.

"I'm feeling just great," said Sen. Tony Dean, who sponsored the bill in the Senate. "We've just witnessed a historic vote for Canada. The end of 90 years of prohibition. Transformative social policy, I think. A brave move on the part of the government."

Dean said he thought the Senate functioned well throughout the process and he was proud of the work the Red Chamber did.

"Now we can start to tackle some of the harms of cannabis. We can start to be proactive in public education. We'll see the end of criminalization and we can start addressing Canada's $7 billion illegal market. These are good things for Canada."


Initially, the government had planned for the bill to be passed by both houses of Parliament in time for retail sales to begin by July 1. That timeline was pushed back after the Senate requested more time to review the bill.

Now that the bill has passed, it's up to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet to choose the actual date when the legalization of recreational marijuana becomes law of the land. Bill C-45 comes with a provisional buffer period of eight to 12 weeks to give provinces time to prepare for actual sales of recreational marijuana.

Ex-Tory Senate leader blasts former colleagues for gutting impaired driving bill
Pot legalization battle brewing as government rejects key Senate change
Military's marijuana policy will be broader than current rules on alcohol, says commander
News of the bill's passage drew immediate response from some of the government's critics on social media.

The Senate and the House of Commons battled over the bill for months.

The Senate had proposed 46 amendments to the Cannabis Act. The Liberal government rejected 13 of those proposed changes last week — including one provision that would have affirmed the provinces' right to ban home cultivation of marijuana.

Quebec, Manitoba and Nunavut all want to forbid their citizens from growing recreational marijuana at home, even once cannabis is legalized federally. The Senate suggested the federal government affirm the provinces' right to do so in the Cannabis Act.


"One of the strong recommendations by experts was that we ensure personal cultivation of four plants at home," Trudeau told reporters last week.

"We understand there are questions and concerns about this, and we understand also that it will be important to study the impacts of what we're doing and whether there can be changes made in three years, but we need to move forward on better protecting our communities."

A motion was moved today that would have seen the amendment returned to the bill, but senators defeated it by a vote of 45-35.

Some amendments stripped away
Another significant Senate amendment that was stripped from the bill would have created a public registry of investors in cannabis companies. That amendment was crafted by Conservative Sen. Claude Carignan to keep criminal gangs from using offshore tax havens to invest in Canada's cannabis industry.

Another significant Senate amendment quashed by the government would have banned the distribution of branded "swag" by pot companies, such as T-shirts, hats and phone cases that display a company logo.


Sen. Tony Dean, who sponsored Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act, speaks to reporters after the vote on the bill in the Senate foyer on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
On Monday of this week, 205 MPs voted to send the bill, minus 13 of the 46 Senate amendments, back to the Red Chamber for what the government hoped at the time would be one final vote.

NDP MPs supported the bill, while those on the Conservative benches voted against it.



That's that, however you feel about it we're moving forward. Any bets on how long until Manitoba & Quebecs home grow bans are challenged in court?

Somatek said:

That's that, however you feel about it we're moving forward. Any bets on how long until Manitoba & Quebecs home grow bans are challenged in court?

Click to expand...

It will be challenged within one week of the law coming into force if that long. I do not expect it will take that long, actually, but the Notice of Constitutional Question will be very early.

And that challenge is certain to be successful. There is not a snowball's chance in hell that the province can legislate a ban on home growing. Regulating private conduct within a residential dwelling is the sine qua non of the criminal power. Jurisdiction over the criminal power belongs solely to the Federal government under s. 91(27) of the Constitution Act, 1867.


And every Provincial Justice Minister - and lawyer in Canada - knows it.

Hola Gang


I hope they change the 4 plant
its does not make sense.


No licensing for small produceur
and researcher .


now its a wait and see


Bare

The 4 plant limit is not going to change. You are going to have to square with that.

There will be room for licensed suppliers. Most of those people have been moving frantically for the past two years to get into the so-called medical market (which was wholly illusory) so that they could prep for legalization.

Canopy Growth and Green House Seed Co. have announced efforts lately to supply the Ontario government and others.

It was always going to be this way. The idea that there would be a Farmer's market and room for small growers was never really in the cards. It may return, but for now? Not likely.

Cannabis as a true mass market product has not yet been seen in the world. It is about to be. My guess is that we will see a significant move to water cured weed in a effort to minimize odor. In a black market, smell assures you of authenticity. In a legal market, the package and seller does. Odor moves towards the back of the line.

Because of rules against branding, you aren't going to see Arjan's face on the side of the package -- but we all knew where this was going to end up. This pisses off those of the independent/libertarian streak which runs deep in our Cannabis Culture, but that's still where this is going in the medium term.

It could be worse. Too bad Franco didn't live to see it.

fatigues said:

It was always going to be this way. The idea that there would be a Farmer's market and room for small growers was never really in the cards. It may return, but for now? Not likely.

Click to expand...

The gov hasn't changed their position on licensing microgrowers, it's just a question of whether they'll be allowed to market directly customers like craft brewers do.

"One of the strong recommendations by experts was that we ensure personal cultivation of four plants at home," Trudeau told reporters last week.

"We understand there are questions and concerns about this, and we understand also that it will be important to study the impacts of what we're doing and whether there can be changes made in three years, but we need to move forward on better protecting our communities."

A motion was moved today that would have seen the amendment returned to the bill, but senators defeated it by a vote of 45-35.

Click to expand...

Ya'll missed that part?

The 13 amendments were dropped.

Unless I missed the ball and you're refering to potential provincial legislation.

Wonder what political (financial) capital it cost?

Water cure would ensure the survival of the black market.

Mikell said:

Ya'll missed that part?

The 13 amendments were dropped.

Unless I missed the ball and you're refering to potential provincial legislation.

Click to expand...

It's not potential, it's *actual* legislation. Quebec, Manitoba and Nunavut have provincial legislation that bans home cultivation. The federal government has said it will not challenge that legislation in court (which means it won't initiate the challenge).

Everyone knows that a private individual will challenge the provincial legislation, and that legislation will be deemed unconstitutional. There is only one criminal law in Canada. With s. 12(4) of the Cannabis Act occupying that field under the guise of the criminal law, that will be determinative. The squabble about home growing in those provinces is just politics for show.

Water cure would ensure the survival of the black market.

Click to expand...

If it was exclusively sold that way, it would. That's not going to happen. But strains that are offered for sale with "reduced odor" and are just as effective at getting people high?

These will be aimed at casual users. And they will sell; they will sell extremely well, too. The average casual user doesn't care about smell or terpene profiles or any of the stuff that we take for granted here. They just want to get high. If they can do so without their neighbors or kids knowing? That's a product feature. For most casual users, that will be very attractive. When the seller has credibility so that the purchaser knows it is reliable and he/she isn't getting swindled? That will make all the difference.

It's a very different marketplace with very different rules, products and consumer tendencies. They will emerge over time. Nobody really knows where this is all going.

Legalization sure killed the black market in every state that's legalized eh. Lololololol

I think it's too early to really guess where the market will go. I can see what you're saying as far as a water cure but I could also imagine the market will shift to concentrates. There's more chances to make value added product. Squish the rosin, then making butter, then selling the pulp as animal feed or god knows what creates more chances for making profit.

I imagine bud will become more of a niche market, like fine wine. There's too many variables to say where we'll end up but short term bud is king & efficiently scaling up curing is a huge advantage.

fatigues said:

It's not potential, it's *actual* legislation. Quebec, Manitoba and Nunavut have provincial legislation that bans home cultivation. The federal government has said it will not challenge that legislation in court (which means it won't initiate the challenge).

Everyone knows that a private individual will challenge the provincial legislation, and that legislation will be deemed unconstitutional. There is only one criminal law in Canada. With s. 12(4) of the Cannabis Act occupying that field under the guise of the criminal law, that will be determinative. The squabble about home growing in those provinces is just politics for show.



If it was exclusively sold that way, it would. That's not going to happen. But strains that are offered for sale with "reduced odor" and are just as effective at getting people high?

These will be aimed at casual users. And they will sell; they will sell extremely well, too. The average casual user doesn't care about smell or terpene profiles or any of the stuff that we take for granted here. They just want to get high. If they can do so without their neighbors or kids knowing? That's a product feature. For most casual users, that will be very attractive. When the seller has credibility so that the purchaser knows it is reliable and he/she isn't getting swindled? That will make all the difference.

It's a very different marketplace with very different rules, products and consumer tendencies. They will emerge over time. Nobody really knows where this is all going.

Click to expand...

Ah I was not aware they had already passed anything.

You are correct about the average consumers desire. If anything shows the means to an end it is the dominance of flavourless lager across Canada and America.

Even now the dominating cultivars, production wise, are single note kushes and the like. Some have a strong odour but weak next to a Sweet skunk or such.

This would be 120 clear days from the time the Commons passed the final version of the Bill. It reflects an informal agreement with the provinces to permit them time to get their ducks in a row.

And it falls on a ... Wednesday?

fatigues said:

This would be 120 clear days from the time the Commons passed the final version of the Bill. It reflects an informal agreement with the provinces to permit them time to get their ducks in a row.

And it falls on a ... Wednesday?

View Image

Click to expand...

I think it will be referred to as Weednesday after that.

Lets hope that October 18th doesnt become the random piss test apocalypse, lol.

I'm very curious to see how this play out in the work world in Canada. A lot of employers have been, or will have to grapple with how they will approach this. I know it came up at my last big meeting at work. The safety guy basically said don't be a fucking idiot and smoke weed at work, without actually using those words. I tend to agree with him, don't make it an issue when it doesn't have to be. Save it for when you are home and make it special.

The degree of hysteria about this has always bordered on pearl-clutching.

Workers getting high at work? Seriously? Tell me: is it a problem now for you? Sometimes? Okay. In my experience, there are lots of job where workers, often manual labor or kitchen staff, get high on the job. This is *nothing* new. It's been going on for fifty years. Legalizing something they ought not to be doing and has always been cause for dismissal changes nothing.

Similarly, the histrionics over "drugged driving" and the cops "needing more time" is the most odious sort of deception I have ever heard. You 'need more time"? Really? It's been a crime for NINETY-THREE YEARS. The Police have been tasked with enforcing the law against driving while high in Canada for more than fifty years as a practical, common everyday occurrence. How much more time do they think they need? Fifty years more, eighty? Call it an even century?

Does this make any sense at all? What, we're legalizing marijuana because it's used by millions of Canadians while it is illegal, but now, while we are legalizing it because Prohibition doesn't work, we are going to simultaneously believe that it did? Who is this driver: Schrodinger's Stoner? We are going to pretend that stoned driving is about to become a public health crisis, even though the data sample we have is VAST and already confirms it isn't a significant issue and never has been?

There are two stoned "drivers". The first "driver" is so stoned, he has couch lock and is barely reaching for the remote, and he's not interested in getting into a car. The other one is mobile, paranoid, and is the asshole in the far right lane going 10km under the speed limit.

It's just reefer-madness arguments. The offensive thing is that the media never calls them out on it. Not once.

Oh well. Doesn't matter. We won.

fatigues said:

The degree of hysteria about this has always bordered on pearl-clutching.





It's just reefer-madness arguments. The offensive thing is that the media never calls them out on it. Not once.

Oh well. Doesn't matter. We won.

Click to expand...

yo,

your flow just wants to go,
a cheerleader for the man with the plan,
another culture vulture,
let's all stand up and give you hand,

crazy that you think we won,
all that is to be has been undone,

your post it does speak loud and clear,
a know it all with a crystal ball,
standing up to cheer,

another sell out is what we see,
backing up the gov and their control of weed,

glad your happy with your 30 grams,
just another one of the herd who bought into this scam.

Now that's how you fuckng rhyme!

fatigues said:

The degree of hysteria about this has always bordered on pearl-clutching.
...
Oh well. Doesn't matter. We won.

Click to expand...

It's been absurd reading the news around legalisation then comparing it to reality. Work and driving are just the latest mole hills turning into mountains, they've sucked "home growing will destroy us all" dry so it's onto the next emotional sound byte. My guess is that newspapers won't really ditch the stigma until people start calling them out on it by ripping them apart in comments/editorials.

GG Grants Royal Assent to Bill C-45

GG Grants Royal Assent to Bill C-45

Published Thursday, June 21, 2018 10:53AM EDT
Last Updated Thursday, June 21, 2018 2:18PM EDT


OTTAWA – The federal government's legislation to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana has received Royal Assent, meaning the bill has officially passed Parliament.
Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act, was one of just under a dozen pieces of legislation that received the formal ascension Thursday morning.
Despite the bill passing, it is not yet law. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday that Oct. 17 will be the date that marijuana will be legal across Canada.

In the meantime, the provinces, territories, and municipalities have time to finalize the set-up of their retail stores and to come in-line with the new regulations.
Bill C-45's companion piece of legislation, Bill C-46, which deals with impaired driving also received Royal Assent. This legislation changes the impaired driving laws to give police new powers to conduct roadside intoxication tests, including oral fluid drug tests, and makes it illegal to drive within two hours of being over the legal limit. For example, the bill states that having between two and five nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood would be a summary criminal conviction, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.
According to the Justice Department, the drug-impaired driving aspects of the bill have now become law, with Royal Assent. This means despite legalized marijuana not yet being allowed, there are new restrictions on drug-impaired driving. The changes in the bill related to alcohol-impaired driving come into force on December 18, 2018.
Gov. Gen. Julie Payette oversaw the ceremony in the Senate chamber.

Source: https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/cannabis-act-impaired-driving-changes-among-several-bills-to-officially-pass-parliament-1.3983007


I still can't believe this is actually happening, and never imagined it could possibly ever transpire in my life time. The flood gate is now open, and nobody that is politically affiliated has the power to stop it.

Finally, the good guys won.


RMS