Regulate Cannabis in Ontario!

Below the english version of the open letter there is a Chinese version. 

中文版本附在下面

Also, please ensure that you a resident of Ontario, and declare it. 

我声明，我是加拿大安大略省的居民

Dear Members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario,

Marijuana, a once-controlled substance, is scheduled to be legalized for recreational use nationwide on Oct 17, 2018 after Bill C-45 has received Royal Assent in June 2018. In the absence of comprehensive regulations at both federal and provincial level supplementary to Bill C-45 due to the hasty legalization process, we, as Ontarians, are deeply concerned over the potential adverse impacts that may inflict on every aspect of our life. Even with the revision of Bill C-46, it fails to give us any comfort and assurance. As such, we call for the delay of the full implementation of Bill C-45 for up to a year in Ontario until the existing regulations introduced by the former Liberal Government of Ontario have been refined to address all the imminent risks and obvious loopholes following in-depth consultation and research. Where impractical for the postponement, we propose the following recommendations for your consideration in revisiting the current Cannabis regulation in Ontario.

With our wholehearted trust and full-fledged support, the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party led by Premier Doug Ford won the provincial election in early June of 2018. When it was sworn in on June 29, 2018, we expect that the majority government will be able to keep its promise as "a government for the people" by listening to our voice and responding to our outcry. Our list is by no means exhaustive but echoing our gravest concerns.

1.

Home Cultivation

1.1. Where possible, the incumbent government is expected to take similar action to ban home cultivation of cannabis as Quebec, Manitoba and Nunavut have done even though the province may face the challenges from proponents of homegrown cannabis;
1.2. At the minimum, families with the minors (under the age of 21) shall absolutely be denied the right to grow cannabis at home in order to protect the minors from easy access to and consumption of a substance potentially harmful to their health;
1.3. Alternatively, the provincial government can introduce an initiative to allow registered commercial cannabis growers to cultivate cannabis for families who have such a requirement for better management & quality control and easier enforcement & monitoring;
1.4. If it is not feasible to ban home cultivation of cannabis in Ontario, the government shall impose a height limit on the weed plants at home in order to control the amount of consumable cannabis to be produced by the plants as different strains may yield final weeds in large variances, thus defeating the purpose of setting out the allowable quantities in possession in the legislation;
1.5. All the eligible families in the province who grow cannabis are required to register with the government for cultivation license/permit subject to annual review/renewal for compliance purpose;
1.6. Property owners are required to disclose the history of cannabis cultivation on the premise when listing and selling their properties.

2.

Municipality Authority

2.1. Municipalities shall be granted the power to establish stricter rules and bylaws governing the management of recreational cannabis cultivation, sales, and consumption as well as monitoring for safety and compliance including the right to ban the opening of recreational cannabis retail stores in their municipalities.

3.

Private Property Management

3.1. Stringent rules shall be implemented prohibiting entirely the use and cultivation of cannabis in multi-unit buildings including the units and on balconies even in units that are owner-occupied. In the case of violation by tenants, the landlords have the right to impose a fine and unilaterally terminate the lease. In the case of violation by owners, the property management has the right to impose a fine and other penalties;
3.2. For detached properties occupied by tenants, landlords are entitled to restrict the use and cultivation of cannabis on their premises in the lease agreement. Tenants shall be subject to fine and unilateral termination of the lease if any violation is identified.

4.

Traffic Safety

4.1. Highway Traffic Act shall be amended to increase the license suspension time and the fines associated with cannabis-impaired driving;

4.2. The municipal and regional police shall be given the right to perform random inspections on the road;

4.3. Traffic data regarding accidents caused by cannabis-impaired driving must be released to the public in order to facilitate the analysis of accident data.




5.

Protection of Minors (under the age of 21)

5.1. The establishment of recreational cannabis retail stores and the promotion of cannabis shall be strictly prohibited within 2 kilometres of schools, kindergartens, libraries, amusement facilities and other venues with a generally large number of underage persons;

5.2. The use of cannabis at social events including private parties with the presence of minors shall not be permitted. In addition, minors should not be accommodated in public and private premises where cannabis is grown;

5.3. Individuals attempting to persuade or induce minors to use cannabis should be charged with criminal offence and subject to civil liability;

5.4. Individuals selling cannabis to minors should be charged with criminal offence and subject to civil liability;

5.5. Individuals distributing or transferring cannabis to minors should be charged with criminal offence and subject to civil liability;

5.6. The curriculum for all school ages shall be amended to include more informative education on the negative effects of cannabis on growth and brain development. Information and length of teaching should be equivalent to that of tobacco and the harms of smoking. Parents should be informed of these changes.




6.

Regulation on Cannabis Products and Accessories

6.1. Salespersons shall clearly inform customers that the product or accessory contains cannabis in order to avoid mistaken purchases for food;

6.2. Cannabis products or accessories sold in public cannot be aesthetically made into a candy in order to prevent accidental consumption by children;

6.3. Cannabis cannot be added to any food as an ingredient without labelling. Perpetrators should face criminal charges;

6.4. Possession of cannabis products and accessories in schools should be strictly prohibited. Perpetrators should face criminal charges;

6.5. No advertisements promoting cannabis, or the availability of cannabis should be allowed. Cannabis packaging should contain the same warning narratives as cigarettes.




7.

Restriction of Recreational Cannabis Use in Public Places/Workplace and for Special Occupation

7.1. No persons shall be allowed to use recreational cannabis in public places. Public places shall be clearly defined as any public area such as a stairway and pedestrian walkway;

7.2. No persons shall be allowed to use recreational cannabis in workplaces. Workplaces shall be defined as an area with the presence of all types of staff member such as janitors;

7.3. Special occupation personnel should not be allowed to smoke cannabis at the workplace or to perform their duties under the influence of marijuana. Some examples of special occupation include personnel in air, water and road transportation such as pilots, train/subway operators, taxi drivers; construction industry such as construction workers, road maintenance staff; public sector such as swat team, police force, firefighting squadrons, teachers, government employees and parliament members; and healthcare industry such as doctors and nurses;

Sincerely, Tianshi Yuan





尊敬的省议会，



联邦政府已经正式通过C45法案，大麻将于10月19日全国合法化，由于时间仓促，配合C45大麻合法法案的相关管理规定并不完善，即使修改C46刑法条例也不足以令大麻问题有法可依。对此我们表示深深的担忧，担忧大麻对民众的生活的方方面面带来困扰。我们希望政府考虑推迟大麻在安省合法的日期至少一年，这样安省各界可以对大麻问题进行调研和政策制定。以下是安省居民们对安省制定大麻管理条例上提出的建议，安省人民相信福特政府是为人民的，我们期待省政府能仔细考虑我们的担忧和建议，并尽快给我们的请愿回复。



第一：关于家种：

我们要求像Quebec, Manitoba and Nunavut, 禁止家庭种植，尤其是有未成年人居住的家庭不允许家庭种植，或者采取政府指定地点集中种植的方式。如无法在全省范围内禁止家庭种植，我们要求限制种植高度，种植家庭必须注册登记并每年审核，房屋买卖必须申报大麻种植史。



第二：市级政府权限：

我们要求安省政府授予市级政府权力定立更严格的限制大麻的条例，包括可以自主决定是否禁止开设大麻店。





第三：地产物业管理



我们要求安省政府出台严格的大楼管理规定，禁止大麻在大楼里的使用（包括阳台）和种植。



屋主可以禁止租客种稙或在该物业范围内吸食大麻。如有违反，屋主有权罚款或单方面解除租约。



第四：麻驾管控



（1）通过修改Highway Traffic Act，交通法，以控制麻驾，比如提高吊销驾照的时间和提高罚款金额。

（2）授予警察随机检查的权利。

（3）交通事故是否与麻驾有关的信息必须向公众发布，以便于事故数据的分析。



第五：未成年人保护（在此项，未成年人的定义建议为21岁）



（1）学校，幼儿园，图书馆，游乐设施等有未成年使用的场所周围2公里范围内，不允许开大麻店，不允许有任何大麻的宣传。



（2）有未成年参加的场合，比如私人PARTY等，不可以食用大麻。种植大麻的场所和住所不可以接待未成年人。



（3）引诱未成年人吸食大麻，严格追究刑事和民事责任。



（4）售卖大麻给未成年人，严格追究刑事和民事责任。



（5）赠送或转交大麻给未成年人，严格追究刑事和民事责任。



（6）出版教材培训师资，增加大麻的对未成年成长的危害性的教育，篇幅数据及教时不得少于/低于对吸烟危害性的教育，并向家长通报教育计划。



第六：大麻产品监管



（1）所有大麻产品，出售时，必须由销售人员强调提醒这是大麻产品，以免误买误食。



（2）公开出售的大麻制品不可以做成糖果外观，以防孩童误食。



（3）大麻不可以作为食品成分添加到任何食物中。违反者，追究刑事责任。



（4）携带添加了大麻的食品进入学校，追究刑事责任。



（5）不允许任何宣传大麻的广告。不允许有牌子指明自己这里有大麻，大麻包装上应注明危害。要求与香煙有同樣的警告句子



第七：公共场所和特殊工作限定



（1）公共场所：严格限定公共场所的定义，公共场所不允许吸食大麻，比如对人行道和楼梯间的公共场所定义。



（2）工作场地：任何场所，如果有工作人员工作，都被视为工作场地，工作场地不允许吸食大麻，比如有清洁工人会做清洁工作的地点。





（3）特殊职业：特殊职业人员工作时不允许吸大麻，如交通运输行业，包括铁路，航空，船舶，出租车，工作状态的保安，安检，特警、消防员、警察、建筑工人、医生，护士，教师，政府部门工作人员和各级议员。



天使