[CommanderSock]

If you don't agree with our conservative laws, go out and vote against your conservative candidate.

On fiscal issues both the libs and cons are pretty much neck and neck, but in social issues, there's a wide chasm.

[Curtman]

Court smokes pot laws

$1:

The government has three choices: Do nothing, which would effectively legalize the drug in Ontario; challenge the ruling, which would likely result in the matter ultimately heading to the Supreme Court of Canada for a decisive ruling; or rewrite the laws to make it easier for people to obtain marijuana for medical purposes.
...
The injustice of the country's marijuana laws, however, also extends to millions of recreational users, most of whom are working Canadians who are forced into the shadows because of the criminal sanctions associated with smoking pot.

The simplest solution for both medical and recreational users is for the government to legalize the drug and regulate it. Such a measure would curtail some criminal enterprises, while providing a new taxable product.

The Tory government of Stephen Harper has been trying to move in the opposite direction by increasing penalties, but it is out of touch with public opinion, which largely regards smoking weed as a victimless crime. It is time, Mr. Harper, to get with the program.

[herbie]

andyt andyt:

We had the first smoke-in in Vancouver in Gastown in 1970. The cops rode people down with horses, including a bunch of nice tourists caught up in the action. Probably went a long way to reducing the aggressive enforcement of the laws. Ocifer Stedanko was still active in those days.

I remember, I was there. That was over FORTY YEARS AGO and little has changed.
A 16yr old who worked for me after school was nailed and charged, and had to go to court for simple possession, caught smoking up in the bush behind the school.
She didn't say anything, heard from another employee she was scared she could lose her job. Brought it up with her, ripped $50 out of the till and told her it was hers if she told the Judge the law was wrong, she wasn't "guilty" of anything, but here's $50 to cover the lost GST.
They never did call her to court, just held it over her head that they could if they wanted to fuck with her.