With the views that the federal government is likely to legalize marijuana on July 1, 2018, our group takes the stand to oppose legalization on the grounds that:

1. It sends out a wrong message to the youth that smoking marijuana is harmless.

2. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has openly stated that the law enforcement departments are not ready by July 1, 2018.

3. Once the gate of legalization is opened, it cannot be reverted back even if it has caused many social problems.

Hence, our group urges the federal government to postpone or suspend legalizing marijuana before the regulatory system and law enforcement are ready to avoid social problems from arising.

對於聯邦政府擬定2018年7月1日將大麻合法化，關注2018年7月大麻合法化小組的立場是反對大麻合法化，理由是：

1.     合法化發出錯誤信息，誤導青少年以為吸食大麻無害

2.     如果在2018年7月1日立法,執法部門已表明無能力執法。

3.     一旦合法化大門打開，即使引發眾多社會問題，也將無法逆轉。

因此，關注小組要求聯邦政府在未釐清重要環節及有完善監管和執法配套前，推遲或擱置大麻合法化。

 

If the federal government insists on passing Bill C-45 in next July and making marijuana legal, our group asks the federal government to meet these conditions:

1.     Set the minimum age of consumption at 21.

2.     Prohibit personal cultivation at home.

3.     Disclose to the taxpayers in clear terms about the expenses that may arise from legalization of marijuana.

但如聯邦政府堅持在明年7月通過C-45法案，實施大麻合法化，關注小組要求聯邦政府必須滿足以下條件：

1.     在法案中刪除容許在家種植4株大麻, 禁止在家中種植大麻

2.     把合法購買大麻最低年齡設在21歲

3.     把大麻合法化所衍生政府開支向納稅人具體列出

 

If the federal government insists on legalizing marijuana in 2018, our group asks the B.C. government to adopt the following 15 recommendations in order to protect public interest :

1.     Do not give the green light to the legal use and possession of marijuana ahead of the federal government.

2.     Put pressure on the federal government to postpone legalization until the above-mentioned issues have been clarified.

3.     Clearly inform the public the cost that may arise from the legalization of marijuana.

4.     Set stricter rules related to marijuana use than those on smoking and drinking.

5.     Set the minimum age of consumption and buying/selling of marijuana at 21.

6.     Set the maximum number of marijuana plants to be cultivated by premises, not by household.

7.     Protect the legal rights of landlord (including strata council) to forbid tenants to cultivate, consume, and buy/sell marijuana.

8.     Prohibit smoking or cultivation marijuana in any buildings (such as apartment) with central air ventilation system.

9.     Prohibit cultivation, smoking of marijuana and the use of marijuana related products in any places children may reside or may be around such as schools, parks, community centres and other recreational facilities.

10.  Prohibit marijuana products made in the form of candies, cookies, foods or drinks.

11.  Require any products contained with marijuana must be clearly labeled and carry health warnings similar to cigarettes.

12.  Be strict on illegal marijuana operations.

13.  Allow marijuana to be sold at designated locations only.

14.  Be strict on impaired driving under the influence of marijuana.

15.  Delegate municipalities with the authority to make stricter bylaws on the cultivation, consumption and buying/selling of marijuana according to the wish of their residents.

如果聯邦政府一意孤行，要在2018年實施大麻合法化，關注小組要求省政府做到以下15點，以保障公眾利益：

1.     在聯邦政府未落實大麻合法化前，不以任何形式為合法使用或藏有大麻開绿燈

2.     在聯邦政府未清楚交待上述項目前，向聯邦施壓推遲大麻合法化的計劃

3.     把大麻合法化所衍生政府開支向納稅人具體列出

4.     訂立比煙酒更嚴格的法律

5.     把合法購買大麻最低年齡設在21歲

6.     種植大麻數量上限應以物業為單位，而非以家庭為單位

7.     立法保證業主（包括業主委員會）有權禁止住客種植、吸食或買賣大麻

8.     凡有公用空調系統的多戶房屋如柏文，均不可種稙或吸食大麻

9.     立法嚴禁在有兒童居住及出入的地方種植或吸食大麻，包括學校、公園、社區中心等文娛康樂設施範圍

10.  立法禁止大麻以任何糖果、餅乾或其他食物或飲品形式出售

11.  凡含有大麻成分的産品或用品，要有成分說明，並且如煙草産品一樣，在包裝上有明顯警告字樣

12.  大力取締非法大麻店

13.  規定大麻及大麻產品只能在指定地點出售

14.  嚴懲在大麻或其他非法藥物影響下駕駛司機

15.  授權城鎮政府訂立附例限制大麻的種植、販賣及使用，讓市政府可制定更符合需要、更嚴格的附例

  

If the federal government insists on legalizing marijuana in 2018, our group urges the municipalities to adopt the following 6 recommendations to protect public interest:

1.     Do not give the green light to the consumption and possession of marijuana ahead of the municipalities to the federal government.

2.     Ask for the maximum authority to regulate marijuana within its jurisdiction

3.     Prohibit the cultivation and consumption of marijuana in places where children may reside or enter, including schools, parks, community centres, or recreational facilities.

4.     Require a licence for commercial or personal cultivation of marijuana

5.     Set up strict bylaws to regulate the sale and consumption of marijuana

6.     Be strict on illegal on illegal marijuana operation
 

如果聯邦政府一意孤行，要在2018年實施大麻合法化，關注小組要求市政府做到以下6點，以保障公眾利益：

1.     在聯邦政府未落實大麻合法化前，不以任何形式為合法使用或藏有大麻開绿燈

2.     向省政府爭取自行訂立相關附例的最大權力

3.     立附例嚴禁在有兒童居住及出入的地方種植或吸食大麻，包括學校、公園、社區中心等文娛康樂設施範圍

4.     要求無論個人或商業性種植大麻均需申請許可證

5.     訂立嚴格的附例限制大麻店開業及大麻的使用

6.     大力取締非法大麻店

 

Appendix 

Appendix

“July 2018 Marijuana Legalization Concern Group” is opposed to legalization of marijuana as it contradicts public interest. However, if the Trudeau government insists to pass Bill C-45, our Concern Group requests the Federal government to fulfill the following criteria and rationale:

關注2018年7月大麻合法化小組基於公眾利益反對大麻合法化，但如杜魯多政府執意要實施大麻合法化，本關注小組要求聯邦政府必須滿足以下條件及理由：

1. Set 21 the Minimum Legal Age For Marijuana Consumption

· This synchronizes with the views of professional healthcare workers from the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Mental Health Association, and Canadian Pediatric Society. They all agree that the brain development of youth will not be fully mature until the age of 25. Consuming cannabis prematurely will intervene brain development and have detrimental effects on cognitive abilities including memory retention, cognitive speed, visual and spatial processing and overall intelligence. It also increases risks of mental illness. Consuming marijuana at a young age also increases the risk of marijuana dependency in the long run.

· Christina Grant, Pediatrics Professor and major author of the Canadian Pediatric Society’s statement on marijuana legalization said, “We already know that in every 7 people who started taking marijuana since youth, 1 will develop illness associated with marijuana. This is a very substantial figure.” Anne McLellan, former Federal Minister of Justice who led the marijuana legalization task force also admitted that, Canadian Medical Association has clearly recommended to set the minimum legal age of marijuana consumption to 21 due to the harmful impact marijuana brings to young people’s brain development; however, the Liberal government obviously ignored the medical professionals’ suggestions based on medical evidence.

1.    把合法購買大麻最低年齡設在21歲

·      這與加拿大醫學會（Canadian Medical Association）、加拿大心理健康協會（The Canadian Mental Health Association）、加拿大兒科學會（Canadian Pediatric Society）等專業醫護人員協會的意見基本一致。認為 腦部發展要到25歲才完全成熟，過早吸食大麻會對大腦發育造成干擾，對注意力、記憶力、思考速度，視覺空間功能和整體智力等認知能力帶來負面影響；增加患上精神病風險， 以及年輕人過早吸食，會增加長遠倚賴大麻的風險。

·      加拿大兒科學會有關大麻合法化聲明的主要撰寫人、兒科教授格蘭特（Christina Grant）曾表示：「我們已確知每7個在青少年期間開始使用大麻的人中，有1人會發展出與使用大麻有關疾病，這是一個非常重要的數字」。 帶領大麻合法化專責小組的前聯邦司法部長麥蘭倫（Anne McLellan）也承認，加拿大醫學會以大麻損害年輕人腦部發展為由，明確建議把最低買麻年齡設於21歲，但自由黨政府明顯沒有理會醫療專家基於醫學證據所提出的建議。

2. Ban Personal Cultivation

· The Federal Liberal government’s proposed Cannabis Act allows adults to grow a maximum of 4 plants per residence. We opposed to this suggestion and share the same view with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

· The Chiefs of Police have requested clearly to remove the personal cultivation provision on the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Health in September this year, as it would lead to multiple risks including “increasing youth’s contact of cannabis, safety and health risks such as mold infestation and fire hazards, excessive production of marijuana, smuggling　and drug dealing”.

· Allowing homegrown marijuana will also lead to profound social problems. For instance, impact on house price and insurance on properties where marijuana were once grown. According to current regulations, medical marijuana patients can grow pot at home without landlord’s consent. Once it is legalized, will renters in general have such rights? How are landlords’ rights protected? Will landlords suffer from house price and home insurance cost? Will condo and townhouse strata council be given rights to set bylaws to ban landlords or renters to grow marijuana in their properties? How to prevent and regulate people who grow more than 4 plants and re-sell them to make a profit?

· Allowing and treating homegrown marijuana as if any other plants would increase children’s risk to the contact of marijuana and inhaling second hand weed smoke. Youth can have easy access to marijuana and smoke; they may bring them to school and party, and give them out as gifts or even sell them to peers, which would make it even harder to regulate.

· The Federal Liberal party stated in their 2015 election platform that it is necessary to legalize marijuana to prevent children and youth from getting access to the drug. However, setting the minimum legal consumption age at 18 would inevitably make it easier on the contrary, and indeed subject youth to an environment with drugs readily available. Moreover, allowing 4 homegrown marijuana plants would even highly increase children’s access to marijuana and increase the chance of both children and youth to smoke second hand marijuana smoke indoor. Obviously, this violates the Liberal’s campaign promise of keeping young people away from the harmful impact of drugs.

2.    禁止在家中種植大麻

·      聯邦自由黨政府所提出的大麻合法化法案，建議容許在家中種植4棵大麻，我們反對有關建議，這立場與加拿大警察局長協會（Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police）一致

·      該協會今年9月在國會衛生委員會上清楚要求在法案中刪除容許在家種植4株大麻，因會引起包括「年輕人接觸大麻；住宅發霉和火災等健康及安全隱患；大麻生產過剩，和走私販運」等多種風險。

·      容許在家種植大麻將衍生一連串社會問題，例如曾種植大麻房屋的價格和房屋保險費都受影響；據現行法例，藥用大麻病人可毋須房東同意下，在家種植大麻；一旦大麻合法化，一般租戶是否也有如此權利？房東的保障何在？房東會否在屋價和房屋保險費方面蒙受損失？柏文和城市屋的立案法團是否有權制訂附例，不准業主或租戶在屋苑種大麻？如何防止及監管有人種植超過4株大麻，甚至販售圖利？

·      批准民眾把大麻視為一般植物，在家裏種植，增加兒童接觸大麻和吸入二手大麻煙風險，年輕人可在家居取得和吸食，甚至把大麻帶返學校或派對中，送贈甚至販賣予朋輩也就更難監管。

·      聯邦自由黨在2015年的競選綱領中，清楚表明有必要把大麻合法化的原因，是要防止毒品落入兒童和年輕人手中，但把合法買麻年限設於18歲，無疑為青少年接觸大麻打開方便之門，更易進入大麻充斥的環境中，再加上法案容許在家中種植4棵大麻，就連兒童接觸大麻的機會也大大提高，增加兒童和青少年在室內吸食二手大麻的可能性，這明顯違反了自由黨防止年輕人受毒害的競選承諾。 

3. List Out the Government Costs Incurred By

Marijuana Legalization In Details

When Justin Trudeau motioned about marijuana legalization, “taking the benefits out of the control of criminal gangs” is one of his biggest rationale; however, as legalization is soon become a reality, his government attempts to down play the expectation of the associated government revenue. Trudeau even admitted in a meeting with Premiers of each province and territories in the beginning of October that marijuana legalization would “incur a large amount of new costs”. The Premiers also said, the cost of regulation and enforcement is enormous, but still the Federal government has not yet disclosed to taxpayers in full details what these new costs really are.

Also, associated public health products would also incur huge and long-term costs to our healthcare system. Prior to legalization, the Federal Ministry of Health should clearly explain to taxpayers about the long-term healthcare cost it will bring.

3.    把大麻合法化所衍生政府開支向納稅人具體列出

在杜魯多提動大麻合法化之初，「把利益從罪犯手上拿走」，是其中一大理據，但隨著合法化的現實越見逼近，政府似乎有意淡化對相關收益的期望，杜魯多甚至在10月初一個與各省長及地區首長會議上承認，大麻合法化「會衍生大量的新開支」，各省長亦表示規管和執法開支不菲，唯不見政府對將衍生的新開支向納稅人有具體交待。

另外，涉及公眾健康物品可造成長遠而巨大的醫療系統開支，在實施大麻合法化前，聯邦衛生部須先作出估算，並清楚向納稅人說明大麻所衍生的長遠醫療成本。

4. Postpone Or Hold On To Marijuana Legalization Until The 
Above Criteria Concerning Canadians’ Long-term Well-being Have Been Fulfilled

Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has succinctly stated in the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Health in September that, if the Federal Liberal insisted to legalize marijuana in summer next year, the police force has no capacity to be ready, and they requested to delay legalization. In July earlier this year, in the Premiers’ annual national meeting, all the premiers in attendance unanimously said, if the Federal Liberal government is not able to provide concrete details about the Act, legalization should be postponed.  

 

4.   在未滿足上述關乎長遠公眾利益要求，推遲或擱置大麻合法化

加拿大警察局長協會9月在國會衛生委員會上清楚表明聯邦自由黨政府執意在明年夏季實施大麻合法化，警方將無力跟隨執法，要求政府延遲通過有關法案。在7月，全國省長年度會議上，與會省長也口徑一致，表示如聯邦自由黨政府未能在大麻合法化上提供清晰細節，應推遲合法化的時間。 

2018 July Marijuana Legalization Concern Group

Email: DrugFreeCanadian@gmail.com