Quote:

When the federal government revealed what pot legalization would look like in Canada, it put forward two proposed laws to police the new regime: one to change the rules governing the sale and distribution of the drug itself and another to help police better address impaired driving.

Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said they were "companion" pieces of legislation.

Now, as legalization creeps closer, it seems the fates of the two bills aren't as closely linked as first thought. The Liberal government's point man on pot said Wednesday recreational cannabis use will become legal even if the impaired driving law is still being debated by the Senate.

"I think both bills are very important but they are not the same bill," said Liberal MP Bill Blair, parliamentary secretary to the ministers of Justice and Health.

"Any delay in Bill C-46 on impaired driving is not an impediment to the passage and implementation of Bill C-45 [the cannabis legalization bill] but we would very sincerely hope that the Senate would be able to deal with both bills in expeditious way."

Blair said that while he believes the new impaired driving legislation will help save lives, police already have the ability to arrest drug-impaired drivers.

"That authority exists. We believe that authority will be enhance by Bill C-46 and that's why we're so hopeful the Senate will deal with it in an expeditious way," he said.
Constitutional concerns

The bill to reform impaired driving laws contains new offences for different levels of drug impairment and gives police the authority to use roadside saliva tests to determine if a driver has drugs in their system.

Perhaps the most contentious part of the bill is the part that deals with alcohol impairment — specifically, the stipulation that police do not need reasonable grounds for suspicion before asking a driver for a breathalyzer test.

The House of Commons passed the impaired driving law first, sending it over to the Senate. But its progress in the Red Chamber has been slow. The bill was put on the back burner for an intensive, five-committee study of the law that would actually legalize pot, known as the Cannabis Legalization Act. Even before that, some senators pointed to concerns voiced by legal experts that requiring drivers to give mandatory breath samples would be unconstitutional.

The Canadian Bar Association has said the proposed bill "would put the law back to square one, bringing with it a deluge of cases arguing interpretation and constitutionality of the new provisions."

Wilson-Raybould has argued the bill doesn't violate anyone's rights. But it's still not clear when the Senate will be done with that debate.
A move too soon

Conservative health critic Marilyn Gladu told CBC News that it's more important to get both the pot bill and the cannabis legalization bill right than to rush them through Parliament.

The Senate has "a number of concerns and amendments that they would like to bring and so I think the government needs to give those due consideration and at the same time wait until they have clear rules. Otherwise, there will be confusion, I would say, within the police force," Gladu said.

"We expect to see court challenges to C-46 anyway because there is no test for impairment with cannabis, but that said, no rules makes it even less certain."

That sentiment was echoed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada. The advocacy group's legal counsel told CBC News that legalization of cannabis must come with the legal power required to police its use.

"MADD Canada is very concerned about the possibility that Bill C-45 [the cannabis legalization bill] would enacted before Bill C-46 [the impaired driving bill] because Bill C-46 provides traffic safety measures that are needed right now," said Eric Dumschat, legal counsel for MADD Canada.

"Unfortunately, Bill C-46 has been delayed by the Senate for a number of months now but Canada has a drug-impaired driving problem today and has for the last decade at least."
Minister declines to weigh in

Pot legalization, on the other hand, is proceeding on schedule. The Senate has agreed to vote on the bill on June 7, which would still give Parliament a few weeks to deal with any proposed amendments before the summer break.

Officials have said legalization would actually take effect somewhere between eight to 12 weeks after the bill passes, to give provinces and territories time to get their sales and distribution systems up and running.

Just last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he did not intend to see legalization delayed past summer.

Asked last week about the connection between the two bills, Wilson-Raybould's office declined to say whether the two pieces of legislation were tied.

"It is worth noting that C-46 has been in the Senate for debate since November 1 last year. It should be passed as soon as possible," said a spokesperson.

---

Quote:

The country's police services say they also fear home-growing could lead to more property crime.

As a result, two provinces — Quebec and Manitoba — have said they will ban home cultivation, despite the federal legislation.

Trudeau said today he expects all provinces to follow the federal law as it's written — a signal to Quebec and Manitoba that the federal government might not stand for limits on the law's scope.

"The decision and the ways we have chosen to move forward are based on months, if not years, of consultations with experts and looking at best practices around the world and looking at the best way to eliminate criminal elements," Trudeau said in French.

"The decision on home cultivation of up to four plants was based on logic and evidence and it's one that we will continue to establish as part of the federal framework."

Appearing before a Senate committee in March, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said Ottawa would not challenge provincial laws on home cultivation, but the federal government could not stop individuals from taking the matter into their own hands.

"If that is the case, they would go to court and there would be discussions about the conflict of laws, if there is a conflict of laws between the provincial and the federal law. And if there is a conflict, then the federal law will prevail," Wilson-Raybould said.

---

Quote:

The federal government is rejecting several Senate changes to its cannabis legalization bill, setting the stage for a possible showdown between the Senate and the House of Commons.

The Senate has proposed 46 amendments to The Cannabis Act, and while the government is accepting some of them, it is passing on several major ones.

According to the House's order paper, the changes the government plans to reject include:

    Affirming the provinces' right to ban home cultivation of marijuana.
    Banning branded promotional items such as T-shirts and hats that display logos of marijuana producers.
    Establishing a public registry of all cannabis companies' directors, officers, controlling parent corporations or trusts, and their directors, members and shareholders.

The House still has to debate and vote on the plan in the coming days. Then C-45 will return to the Senate, where senators will have to decide whether to give up their fight to make these changes.

While precedent suggests the Senate will go along with what the elected House of Commons decides, some senators have suggested they might not be prepared to back down this time.

Home cultivation a hot topic

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

In its response rejecting the home cultivation amendment, the government says it "respectfully disagrees" because provinces and territories already have the power to restrict personal cultivation. It said "it is critically important to permit personal cultivation in order to support the government's objective of displacing the illegal market."

"One of the strong recommendations by experts was that we ensure personal cultivation of four plants at home," said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Wednesday morning.

"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."
Beer and wine at home

Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor pointed to other controlled substances that can be made or grown at home.

"Canadians are allowed to make beer at home or wine, and some can even grow tobacco," she said.

"It is already possible for Canadians to grow cannabis for medical purposes, and we absolutely believe that the legislation should be consistent when it comes to recreational cannabis."

The whole issue revolves around the prospect of future court challenges. In March, while appearing before a Senate committee, Justice Minister Jody Wilson Raybould said the federal government wouldn't stop provinces from banning homegrown pot — but if a citizen decided to take the province or territory to court over the issue, the feds wouldn't be silent.

"This is federal legislation and we fundamentally support our legislation and it would be incumbent upon us to defend it," she told the committee.

It's not just the Senate that's worked up over this issue. Provincial ministers from Quebec and Manitoba put out a joint statement on Thursday supporting the Senate's amendment on home cultivation and insisting on "respect" from the federal government.

"Ottawa has an opportunity to dispel the confusion surrounding this matter and to prevent Canadians from needless and costly legal challenges by accepting the amendment proposed by the Senate," reads the statement from Quebec's Canadian Relations Minister Jean-Marc Fournier and Manitoba Justice Minister Heather Stefanson.

Branded pot swag

The Senate also voted in favour of banning the distribution of branded "swag" by pot companies, such as T-shirts, hats and phone cases that display a company logo.

Conservative Sen. Judith Seidman argued that allowing such merchandise was a "loophole that gives cannabis companies a back door to advertise marijuana." She said she was particularly concerned about the impact on young Canadians.

Critics questioned whether such a restriction would actually be enforceable, or whether it was an unnecessary constraint on freedom of expression.

The government argues the act already includes comprehensive restrictions surrounding promotional items.
Investor registry

The bid to have cannabis companies publicly register their investors was meant to keep organized crime out of the fledgling recreational market.

The amendment, proposed by Conservative Sen. Claude Carignan, was inspired by fears that criminal gangs would use offshore tax havens to cash in on legal cannabis.

In rejecting this amendment, the government says the legislation already gives it expanded powers to require security clearances. It also notes the Senate's suggestion "would present significant operational challenges and privacy concerns."
Senate response

It remains to be seen how the increasingly unpredictable Senate will respond to the rejection of the amendments. The home cultivation amendment is a particular source of concern for several senators. Some feel it's important to respect the provinces' will on the issue, while others say there are too many uncertainties around the impact of home cultivation.

If the Senate digs in its heels, it could further delay the Liberal government's plans for legalization. Federal officials have said that after the bill gets through Parliament and receives royal assent, there will still be a period of eight to 12 weeks to give provinces time to prepare for the actual sale of recreational marijuana.

It's up to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet to choose the precise date that legalization would kick in.

---

Quote:

Senators have voted to pass the federal government's bill legalizing recreational marijuana by a vote of 52-29, 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 sales of recreational marijuana.

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 after cannabis is legalized federally. The Senate suggested the federal government affirm the provinces' right to do so in the Cannabis Act.

"We have a bill that has an overarching goal to reduce the marijuana use among young people in this country and what it does right off the get go is normalizes it," said Conservative Sen. Leo Housakos, former Speaker of the Senate.

"There's nothing in this bill that indicates to me that we're tackling the problem, which is increased marijuana use among young people."

News of the bill's passage drew immediate response from some of the government's critics on social media.

"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.

Independent Sen. André Pratte, who disagrees with the government's decision to force provinces to accept home cultivation, said he was angry the bill passed without the major amendments posed by the Senate.

"Of course I am disappointed, and also a little bit angry that they didn't take more time and of course did not accept the amendment. We believe that it was a reasonable and flexible solution to the problem," he said.

"[The Liberals] have to decide at one point; what kind of Senate do they really want," Pratte said. "Do they want a really independent, modern Senate? If so, well, they have to take our amendments into consideration seriously."

On Monday of this week, 205 MPs voted to send the bill, minus 13 of the 46 Senate amendments, back to the Red Chamber.

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

---

Quote:

Every Canadian adult (18 or 19 years old, depending on the province) will be able to purchase cannabis on the internet starting Oct. 17 via government-controlled websites. However, those wanting to walk into a physical bricks-and-mortar retail location for their cannabis fix will find the experience vastly different depending on where they live in Canada. Below, BNN Bloomberg breaks down how every Canadian province and territory is planning to handle legal marijuana sales.

NEWFOUNDLAND

The only province east of Manitoba that will allow private businesses to sell cannabis, Newfoundland expects to have 24 stores operational on day one of legalization. Many are expected to be located adjacent to grocery stores that already contain liquor stores, but still physically separate. Smith Falls, Ont.-based Canopy Growth Corp. (

) will be the province’s main wholesale cannabis provider, but the company will also operate four physical retail locations via its Tweed subsidiary.

NOVA SCOTIA

The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation was originally going to open nine government-owned stores across the province the day that a century of cannabis prohibition came to an end. That changed after Statistics Canada published data showing residents of that province consumed the most cannabis in Canada on a per-capita basis. Now the plan is to open 12 retail storefronts by mid-October.

NEW BRUNSWICK

Already boasting completed designs for its network of 20 “Cannabis NB” locations, New Brunswick is arguably further ahead with its marijuana sales plans than the rest of Canada. The province was already planning to have every store stocked and staffed by July 1, suggesting they should have no problem being ready for mid-October.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Canada’s smallest province by population (and by physical size) is planning to open four stand-alone cannabis stores on Oct. 17. While that figure might seem low, that works out to one store for every 35,000 Islanders. Each retail location in Quebec and Ontario, by comparison, will be serving roughly ten times as many residents.

QUEBEC

Despite being Canada’s second-largest province by population, Quebec intends to have the same number of cannabis retailers open in the early days of legalization as neighbouring New Brunswick (which has less than a tenth Quebec’s population). Those 20 pot stores will each be serving roughly 408,000 Quebecers.

ONTARIO

The Ontario Cannabis Store, a subsidiary of the provincially-owned Liquor Control Board of Ontario, is planning to open 40 stores by the end of 2018. However, it is unclear whether all 40 locations will be operational by mid-October, as just four locations have been announced thus far, including one in the Greater Toronto Area. Even if all 40 OCS locations are ready by Oct. 17, that would still equate to one store for every 338,000 Ontarians. The goal is to have 150 Ontario Cannabis Stores province-wide by 2020.

MANITOBA

Lauded by industry players for its hands-off approach to cannabis retailing, four private consortiums won the right earlier this year to sell cannabis in the geographical centre of Canada. Canopy will be partnering with Winnipeg-based Delta 9 Cannabis for one network and medicinal marijuana information provider National Access Cannabis will operate another. Tokyo Smoke – a Toronto-based startup founded by former Google executive Alan Gertner – will be the third retailer and the fourth is a numbered corporation comprised of Manitoba and Ontario First Nations, Ontario-based MediPharm Labs and U.S.-based retailer Native Roots. All told, Manitoba is expected to have well over 100 cannabis retail locations stocked and staffed by the fall.

SASKATCHEWAN

Fifty-one private retailers across the central prairie province were granted licenses to sell recreational cannabis earlier this year. Licensees run the gambit from large producers (Canopy’s Tweed Grasslands unit won five licenses), to First Nations communities and even to one 23-year-old recent University graduate who will operate a store in Saskatoon called “Living Skies Cannabis”.

ALBERTA

In keeping with the province’s comparably lax regulatory regime for alcohol, Alberta is leaving physical cannabis retailing entirely in the hands of the private sector. There is no limit to the total number of licenses the recently-renamed Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission is willing to issue, mandating only that no single entity be allowed to control more than 15 per cent of all cannabis retail licenses. As of late April, the AGLCC had received 452 completed applications to open recreational cannabis stores.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Departing slightly from the rest of western Canada, B.C. is opting for a mix of both public and private cannabis retail outlets. The government will be the sole wholesale distributor of marijuana to both public and privately-owned locations, but owners of B.C.’s vast network of still-technically-illicit dispensaries will be allowed to apply for permits once prohibition formally ends. The City of Vancouver started issuing business licenses to some of those dispensaries two years ago in an effort to rein in the grey market. Roughly two dozen have been granted semi-legal status since then.

YUKON

The territorial government is planning to open a single cannabis retail location in the capital of Whitehorse by the time legalization takes effect. Yukon has a population of roughly 36,000 people, meaning the ratio of stores to residents will be roughly the same as that of Prince Edward Island.

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

The only jurisdiction in Canada that doesn’t seem to mind having cannabis sold in close proximity to alcohol, the Northwest Territories plans to initially have seven government-owned liquor stores in six communities selling legal pot. According to the legislation passed in Yellowknife in late May, the territory will consider licensing private cannabis retailers six months after legalization takes effect. That means liquor stores in the NWT can only expect to enjoy a brief monopoly on marijuana retail.

NUNAVUT

Canada’s youngest territory is also the only jurisdiction in the country with no plans for any physical cannabis retail presence, leaving its 36,000 residents with only an online option. Nunavut has a long history of preventing bricks-and-mortar intoxicant sales of any kind, having gone nearly 40 years without an alcohol retailer until 2017 when a single beer and wine store opened in Iqaluit.

---

Quote:

The Manitoba government has set out fines of up to $2,542 for people who break the rules regulating cannabis consumption.

Once recreational use of the drug is legalized, people who smoke pot in a provincial park or campsite will face a fine of $672, including fees and surcharges.

The fines for supplying cannabis to a minor, selling it without authorization or growing it at home will be $2,542.

Manitoba's Progressive Conservative government has fought federal calls to allow marijuana users to grow small amounts at home.

Premier Brian Pallister has said banning homegrown cannabis will better protect both users and non-users.

Recreational use of cannabis is to be legal as of Oct. 17.

---

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-cannabis-consumption-fines-1.4817443

This does not likely impact me due to medical authorization to grow
but there could be an interesting legal battle shaping up for someone in the province
it is discouraging to see the PCs moving against anything that empowers the individual citizen rather than megacorp cannabis tho
but suppose it is to be expected

with the park ban, looks like there will still be something to gather for on 4/20 2019 and beyond

psi said:

...I wonder if vaporizing counts as smoking.

---

Quote:

The weed industry is booming but cannabis companies are struggling with a growing problem: finding the right employees in the run-up to Canada legalizing recreational marijuana in October.

As Canada becomes only the second country to legalize recreational use, the cannabis industry could add 150,000 jobs over the next several years, according to an estimate from Deloitte.

An expert says the number of jobs available are “legion” and that “it’s a great time to come into this new marketplace” but companies have lots of job vacancies they’re anxious to fill.

“There’s quite a range that we’re looking for. Everybody is scaling up for the new world come October 17,” Allan Rewak, executive director of the Cannabis Council of Canada, told CTV’s Your Morning Monday.

“If you have the enthusiasm to be a part of this growing sector, there’s a lot of opportunity in the cannabis sector for you,” he said, adding that demand is high for anyone with marketing or pharmaceutical experience. Workers familiar with consumer packaged goods are also in demand.

He told CTV News that understaffing across the board is a massive problem but a good one to have.

Pot producers’ hardest and most crucial position to fill is that of master grower, to oversee all aspects of cultivation.
Colleges, companies facing 'new world'

On Indeed.ca, a popular job-posting site, there are more than 500 full-time jobs ranging from such entry-level positions asbud trimmer, to retail-store workers to executive roles, including director of international expansion and construction for Canada’s largest cannabis company, Canopy Growth.

The bulk of Canada’s 115 licensed weed producers are in Ontario and British Columbia—with an additional 588 applicants awaiting approval. But their challenge is finding experienced workers and cultivators in a relatively new industry. While companies are training people on the job,a handful of Canadian colleges and universities are starting to tailor education programs to the industry demands.

“We haven’t built the perfect cannabis worker yet and we’re doing that together,” Rewak said.

At least 11 post-secondary institutions, including in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Nova Scotia and Montreal, have added cannabis programs. More than six colleges offer diplomas in cannabis cultivation, and a few universities have introduced courses in cannabis business and law.

These include: Niagara College, Durham College, Vancouver's Kwantlen Polytechnic University, McGill University, Community College of New Brunswick, Loyalist College in Belleville, Ont., University of Ottawa, St. Francis Xavier University, Ryerson, College of the Rockies in Cranbrook, B.C., and Olds College, Alta.

Rewak was excited to see the new programs being implimented as it will likely lead to better equipped workers.

In the meantime, Rewak says, companies are looking for workers who’ve dealt with other highly regulated industries such as alcohol or tobacco.

“Weed is safer but we need those people with skill sets and cautious points to come onto our teams,” Rewak said.
Stigma of weed is 'eroding'

He added that the stigma for weed is “eroding,” with 20 to 25 per cent of Canadians reporting using cannabis on a daily to monthly basis.

Rewak says that applicants who smoke weed recreationally isn’t necessarily a “bonus … but it’s becoming less of a negative.” If companies want the best, he says that companies need to become more accepting of people with an “experience with cannabis.”

He adds that passion for the product is motivatingworkers in a way he’s never seen before.

“We’re building something entirely new and that is jet fuel.”

---

https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/pot-jobs-are-legion-but-canadian-cannabis-companies-struggling-to-find-workers-1.4087035

Wonder if McGill would let me come back and get a degree in cannabis growing,
did enough of it during my time there

psi said:

Things are looking kinda fucked in Ontario too, the new PC government cancelled the government-run stores to stick it to the Liberals I guess. Eventually there's supposed to be privately run stores, which would be great if it was happening on Oct 17. No smoking anywhere but private residences either I think, not sure if that's new. I wonder if vaporizing counts as smoking.

---

Quote:

The Ontario government wants to run the marijuana business like it runs the alcohol business, but without the same accessibility to the product. Queen’s Park has failed to realize that LCBO has driven out any black market for booze in Ontario because alcohol is accessible.

According to the LCBO website, there are 660 stores and another 212 LCBO agency stores run by independently owned businesses across Ontario. Not to mention, Ontarians can also buy booze from places such as the Beer Store, breweries, and grocery stores.

Yet, for a province of more than 13-million people, there are plans to open only 40 stores by July 2018, and 150 by 2020, to sell marijuana.

---

sh4d0ws said:

Honestly, I think the conservatives are a lot smarter with their plan. Yes privatization won't happen until 2019, but the government of Ontario is now focusing on mail order instead of brick and mortar shops, and that will kick off come October. Since a lot of people get their weed through the mail anyways I think it's a decent move. Maybe they would be better off opening some brick and mortar shops as well, but really without turning to privatization I don't think they would be able to open enough stores anyways. The liberals idea was pretty shitty, they weren't going to be able to open nearly enough stores in time and were giving the monopoly to the LCBO.

---

Quote:

Many Canadian police services are still "putting the finishing touches" on the rules surrounding officers' consumption of cannabis, less than three weeks before marijuana is legalized for recreational use.

So far, Calgary is the only jurisdiction with a complete abstinence policy.

Officers in the Calgary Police Service will be banned from consuming marijuana even on their days off or vacations — a policy that the police union says it plans to fight.

Other police departments with policies in place require officers to be "fit for duty," more in line with the rules surrounding the consumption of alcohol and prescription drugs.

Both the RCMP and the military will allow members to light up, though the Canadian Forces says personnel must leave at least eight hours between using cannabis and being on duty.

The Vancouver Police Department approved its policy this week, with officers required to self-evaluate whether they are fit for duty.

"We don't have a specific time limit on alcohol or prescription drug use, and we will not be implementing one for cannabis," said Const. Jason Doucette, a department spokesperson.

"Our officers will be provided with information surrounding cannabis use and potency, etc., and it will be their responsibility to ensure they show up fit for duty."
'We don't tell employees they cannot drink alcohol'

Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto and Halifax haven't yet released their rules, but Regina has indicated it has no plans to ban officers from using the soon-to-be-legal drug.

The "finishing touches" are being put on the policy, but the Regina police chief says the approach there will be similar to the rules surrounding alcohol use.

"It involves finding the right balance between avoiding regulating what our employees do in their own spare time and the expectation that they are fit for duty when they come to work.

"We don't tell our employees they cannot drink alcohol in their own time, away from work, but we do expect our officers to show up for work fit for duty," said Chief Evan Bray.
Breakdown city by city

The Toronto Police Service said it is "considering specific direction to members regarding the recreational use of cannabis." A spokesperson said "at this stage, all options are being considered."

The only stipulation for Ottawa police is they must be "free from the effects of alcohol or any drug including cannabis" when they report for duty.

Here's a list of Canadian police services that responded to CBC's request for details on cannabis policies:

    Vancouver: Officers allowed to consume.
    Calgary: Officers not allowed to consume.
    Edmonton: No policy yet.
    Regina: No policy yet, but officers will be allowed to consume.
    Winnipeg: No policy yet.
    Toronto: No policy yet.
    Ottawa: Officers allowed to consume.
    Montreal: Officers allowed to consume.
    Halifax: No policy yet.
    St. John's: No policy yet.
    RCMP: No policy yet. Officers will be allowed to consume.
    Military: Members allowed to consume, but not within eight hours of a shift.

CBC News also reached out to services in Quebec City, Fredericton and Charlottetown but did not receive responses.

All Canadian police officers will receive online training through the Canadian Police Knowledge Network (CPKN) on the new federal legislation.

---

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-police-marijuana-policy-canadian-officers-consume-policy-1.4842726

if my bitterness toward cops is put aside, this gives me a possible small degree of hope in terms of potentially having more open-minded law enforcement officers
it may be more difficult for me to resent a cop who did not become a cop until after the change
and kind of interests me in terms of what the makeup of police forces may or may not look like a generation from now
there could be no change as well, due to the 'type' of people currently inclined to pursue law enforcement careers

Apparently the prospect of cannabis delivery services is already pushing into grey area in Manitoba
and we're still over a week away from it being legal in any capacity

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/cannabis-weed-door-delivery-service-save-the-drive-1.4845572

Quote:

The owner of a new weed delivery business is convinced it will be offering a legal service to Winnipeggers when it arrives, but the province's cannabis regulator is not so sure.

Save the Drive is a new mobile app that wants to do for cannabis what Skip the Dishes has done for dinnertime.

Customers will use their phone to browse product from various dispensaries, place their order and make a payment. The "personal shopper," as the app describes its delivery drivers, will go to the pot shop with your shopping list in hand, buy what you want and deliver it to your door.

"We're not selling cannabis in any way," said Chanel Graham, the Edmonton-based entrepreneur behind the fledging delivery business set to launch in six Canadian cities. "What we're selling is a shopping service."

The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba is hesitant to say the same.

Provincial regulations dictate only one of its few chosen retailers can operate an online shop once marijuana can legally be sold on Oct. 17. Delta 9 Cannabis and National Access Cannabis previously told CBC News they will have at least one store ready by that date.

Graham doesn't think her app is like an online store. Although her customers can browse stock, pick what they want to buy and pay for it through Save the Drive, Graham says the actual transaction occurs not with the cellphone app but at the dispensary.

"What you're doing is putting in an order for somebody to go do your shopping for you," said Graham, who was in Winnipeg last month to attend a cannabis expo.

Unlike Skip the Dishes, Graham's service is not in partnership with the retailers. She is not giving a share of her revenue to any pot shop, nor is she working with them to populate her app's listing of products to buy.

Instead, the personal shoppers will be responsible for updating the app with what dispensaries are offering, she said.

Graham expects to have 20 drivers on the roads of Winnipeg by the date of legalization. A number of drivers have already signed up, she said in an interview last week.

Customers will pay as much as $7 per delivery for the convenience.
Where's the point of sale?

Whether the enterprise is permissible at all rests on what part is considered a transaction — the money exchange through the app, or at the store.

"Honestly, I think it would take interpretation," said Kristianne Dechant, manager of communications and research at the LGCA.

"We'll have clearer answers after we see the extent of businesses that pop up, but because this is all so new a lot of these are really based on legal interpretation, and, as the authority, we don't make those decisions."

Dechant said the regulator is telling entrepreneurs to check with a lawyer — but they have little to rely on.

The suitable part of Manitoba's cannabis regulations that apply to online orders is a single sentence: "A licensee may only accept online remote orders that are submitted to a website operated by the licensee."

Manitoba's standards for third-party delivery services makes no mention of e-commerce platforms.

Dechant said the LGCA is not trying to police anybody and will refer concerns that hold weight to the authorities.

Dechant said the regulator is telling entrepreneurs to check with a lawyer — but they have little to rely on.

The suitable part of Manitoba's cannabis regulations that apply to online orders is a single sentence: "A licensee may only accept online remote orders that are submitted to a website operated by the licensee."

Manitoba's standards for third-party delivery services makes no mention of e-commerce platforms.

Dechant said the LGCA is not trying to police anybody and will refer concerns that hold weight to the authorities.

---

Cannabis delivery seems totally reasonable to me; remember that the depanneurs in Montréal did booze delivery
and it was considered a net positive for the community because it kept drunks in their house rather than wandering the street to buy more