Dear Editor,
October 17 we will see Trudeau’s grand plan to make marijuana legal come to be. Council has known of this for a long time. What has been their thinking to date? Every candidate for municipal election needs to say where they stand before October 17. Silence on this should ensure you don’t get any votes. Do you want POT shops up and down Prescott St? In Bishops Mills, Burritts Rapids, or perhaps in Maplewood school? How many POT shops does North Grenville need? By this late stage the current council, if they have any planning ability, should have their basic plan worked out. All those aspiring to be on council better come forward with their grand vision.
Bill Gooch
I find it kind of funny that there are so many people flying off their rockers about pot becoming legalized. Its like they have this picture in their mind that as soon as it’s passed, within 24 hours there are going to be grow-ops and stores opening up on every corner and clouds of smoke will be infiltrating the streets. It’s simply not the case! The Ontario governments website even says this is not the case. “As of October 17, 2018, the Ontario Cannabis Store website will be the only legal option for purchasing recreational cannabis. It will follow strict rules set by the federal government.
The government will also introduce legislation that, if passed, would open up a tightly regulated private retail model for cannabis that would launch by April 1, 2019. Private stores would be regulated…” (https://www.ontario.ca/page/cannabis-legalization)
It’ll still be illegal to buy it off the street and it’ll still be illegal to use in public and it’ll still be illegal to drive while under the influence.
I really don’t think we’re going to see a spike in users. It’s not that hard to get now, its just not legal. The only thing that’s going to change is that there aren’t going to be so many people in jail over petty possession. This means that people on trial for murder and the like won’t have as much interference in scheduling court appearances because the courts won’t be full prosecuting weed charges which in turn means the likelihood of less cases being dropped because of the Section 11 Charter Rights being trampled on. Big picture people…
Thanks Crystal, you speak common sense-an intelligent response to a half baked editorial.
Crystal, since you feel no plan is needed and candidates do not need to express how they feel, I guess you will be fine if they choose the opt-out option and do not allow it in North Grenville.