Since California passed the first medical marijuana law in 1996, 30 US states and the District of Columbia have legalised medical marijuana.
from www.shutterstock.com
Yu-Wei Luke Chu, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
People opposing medical marijuana are often concerned about increased crime rates, but analysis of city-level data across the US found medical marijuana laws have little effect on crime.
The Second Cup Ltd. says it is actively reviewing locations in Ontario for potential conversion to cannabis stores in light of a decision by the new provincial government to allow private retailers to sell the drug.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Ontario must quickly create rules for cannabis stores. How the Ford government decides to regulate retailers will have a major impact on how many retailers will get into the business.
Will U.S. border officials have problems with Canadians who purchase weed online when they try to enter the country?
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch
As Canada moves to legalize marijuana and online sales become commonplace, privacy concerns can’t be an afterthought; they must be built into the system from the outset. That’s not happening.
Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s finance minister, and Attorney General Caroline Mulroney talk to the media after announcing Ontario’s cannabis retail model on Aug. 13.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
Ontario’s change to private sector cannabis stores will give consumers more convenience. That will mean stronger competition against the black market, but potentially higher consumption too.
A parade of bar men protest Prohibition along Yonge Street in Toronto in 1916.
Library and Archives Canada
History has shown that prohibiting popular intoxicants spurs illegal and sometimes excessive use. Ontario municipalities taking up Doug Ford’s offer to ban local retail weed sales should take note.
Kids teething? Back in 1885, Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup, containing morphine, was close at hand and earned the nickname the “baby killer.” Concerns about the dangers of readily available medications played a big role in how Canada’s drug laws evolved.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine
Canadian drug policy began to take shape well before anti-immigration attacks on Chinese establishments in 1908. Drugs like opium and coke were causing grave public health concerns.
Medical cannabis in the UK? Don’t hold your breath.
Actors Luana Anders and Peter Fonda smoking a joint in a scene from the 1969 film ‘Easy Rider,’ a countercultural movie that influenced drug use by baby boomers in the 1960s.
(Columbia Pictures)
Australian laws are less progressive than the Australian public’s attitude to cannabis in term of decriminalisation, access to medicinal marijuana, and to some extent, full legislation.
More places, including Canada, are legalizing cannabis, but how do we figure out when it’s no longer safe to drive?
A woman lights up at Sunset Beach in Vancouver, B.C., last year on April 20. A new Calgary bylaw, meantime, bans the public consumption of cannabis and restricts people to smoking weed only at home, unfairly affecting those who rent.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
A new Calgary bylaw prevents people from smoking weed in public; only homeowners can spark up on their private property. Here’s why that unfairly targets and penalizes racial minorities.
Marijuana varieties on display in a California dispensary.
AP Photo/Mathew Sumner
Research from the last few decades suggest marijuana helps more than it harms. But Jeff Sessions’ proposed crackdown would take us back nearly a century.
Patients in 29 states can legally use medical marijuana to treat their symptoms.
SageElyse/shutterstock.com
Patients in 29 states rely on medical marijuana to treat pain, nausea, seizures and other ailments. But all that could change.
Marijuana brand name stickers are visible as customers line up at the counter in CannaDaddy’s Wellness Center marijuana dispensary in Oregon in April.
(AP Photo/Don Ryan)
There’s a strong case for governments to allow cannabis producers to brand their products via packaging and advertising like any other product. It could boost quality and consumer satisfaction.
The federal government outlaws marijuana, but many states are legalizing it. Coupled with the growing number of cannabis-related patents, the potential for court battles is dizzying.
High government taxes on legalized marijuana could push people back to the black market.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)
The Liberal government is on the way to legalizing marijuana. They should keep taxes low to discourage the black market.
Californians are going to be seeing more messages like this because voters stood up to Big Tobacco and passed a $2 tobacco tax increase.
California Department of Health Services