The government’s Cannabis Act doesn’t go far enough to legalize marijuana, a panel representing law and bar associations told the Senate committee studying Bill C-45 Wednesday.

“The message that Canadians have is that cannabis will be legal soon. This is not true,” said Paul J. Calarco, a member of the Canadian Bar Association.

There are still serious criminal punishments associated with marijuana in the bill – some as severe as 14 years in jail.

Rather than legalizing recreational marijuana, as many Canadians believe it will, Bill C-45 would continue to criminalize and stigmatize marijuana use, the panel testified.

The bill would also discriminate against young people, underprivileged people, and permanent residents who would be put at a higher risk of being deported, the committee heard.

Punishing young people criminally for something that is legal for adults should “be found to be unconstitutional,” said Michael Spratt of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association.

This bill seems more concerned with helping already privileged people collect a profit than it is about reversing the historic injustices of marijuana prohibition, said Annamaria Enenajor of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association.

To illustrate the absurdity of marijuana criminalization, Spratt said that he has had clients who are routinely turned away from the American border because of small marijuana offences – some decades old. “But I have clients who are convicted of manslaughter who make it through the border no problem,” he said.

The public desperately needs to be educated and engaged with marijuana legislation – and that won’t happen through criminalization, according to panelists.

“Canadians are not nearly informed enough about this legislation,” said Calarco. Most Canadians believe that this legislation will legalize marijuana, but it would only some very limited non-criminal exemptions to possession of cannabis, which is otherwise still illegal, he told the committee.

This makes it very easy for people to inadvertently engage in illegal behavior. And, it could result in vulnerable groups being swept up in the criminal courts, which could over-burden the justice system, Calarco said.

Rather than criminalizing some elements of marijuana usage and sales, “the answer is to treat cannabis like we treat tobacco and alcohol,” said Spratt.

The Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology will continue studying Bill C-45 until the end of May.