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Of all of the promises the Liberals made in the lead-up to last year’s election, one would have thought that legalizing marijuana would be an easy one to keep, as it would be pretty easy to do.

The basis for marijuana’s illegality in Canada is its inclusion in several schedules of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA). If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is serious about his election promise, he should take the obvious first step and propose legislation that would remove marijuana from the CDSA. Regardless of what marijuana legalization scheme is dreamed up over the next couple of years, this will need to happen. The sooner it does, the better.

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Instead, the prime minister has appointed former Toronto police chief Bill Blair to head a panel that will work with cabinet and consult with the provinces to create a “strong regulatory framework.” It has all the potential for lethargy and muddled-thinking that the government has been warning us that pot causes for so many years.