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Canada Minimum age of 18 to buy pot among 80 recommendations A federal task force looking at how to implement the Liberal promise to legalize marijuana has made more than 80 recommendations, including: A minimum age of 18 to purchase. Higher in provinces and territories that have a higher age to purchase alcohol. To mitigate harm between the ages of 18 and 25 — a period of brain development — governments should “do all they can to discourage and delay cannabis use.” Strict limits on marketing to reduce youth access. Cannabis should be sold in plain packaging with only the company name, strain name, price, amounts of THC and CBD and other warnings. Packaging that appeals to children would be prohibited. It would also have to be resealable and childproof or child resistant. Taxes and pricing should balance health protection with the goal of limiting the illicit market. Revenue from cannabis should be used to fund administration, education, research and enforcement. The consumption of less potent cannabis should be encouraged; higher taxes should be used to discourage the consumption of high-potency products. Restrictions should be placed on stores that sell cannabis, including their distance from community facilities such as schools and parks. Cannabis should not be sold at retail outlets where tobacco or alcohol is already sold, because of concerns it would encourage cannabis use. “Co-location of sales might signify to some that co-use of cannabis or alcohol or tobacco is condoned or encouraged,” the report states. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has mused that the LCBO would be a good choice for selling cannabis, noting its expertise in selling controlled substance. Yet the report does state that where such sales can’t be avoided “appropriate safeguards must be put in place.” Personal cultivation of cannabis for non-medicinal purposes should be allowed with a limit of four plants per residence, none higher than 100 cm (about 39 inches). Criminal offences should be maintained for illicit production, trafficking, possession for the purposes of trafficking, possession for the purposes of export, and import/export. A limit of 30 grams should be set for personal possession of non-medical dried cannabis in public. Current restrictions on the smoking of tobacco products should be extended to cannabis smoking and cannabis vaping. Yet dedicated locations to consume cannabis, such as lounges and tasting rooms, should be permitted. A public education campaign to drive home the risk of impaired driving while at the same time conduct additional research to better understand THC levels and the risk of accidents. Close monitoring to ensure that the new regime is “minimizing harms as intended” with regular reporting of regulatory compliance and population health and a mandatory program evaluation every five years. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Read more about: SHARE:









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