Federal Green Party Votes To Regulate Pot Like Coffee Beans!
CANNABIS CULTURE – Interview with policy author Signe Knutson.
On March 26th, 2022, at the federal Green Party’s “Virtual General Meeting,” party members voted to eliminate all police activity related to pot, essentially regulating it like herbal medicine or coffee beans.
A previous attempt by the Green Party to amend the Cannabis Act during its formation involved amendments that would reduce punishments for youth and marginalized people. (1)
Another attempt by the Green Party to amend the Cannabis Act once it had been in place for a year included lowering the retail price, eliminating excessive packaging, removing the sales tax on medicinal products, allowing outdoor production and introducing organic standards. (2)
As for the rest of the political parties pot policies, as of the last federal election in 2019, the Liberal Party had nothing further to offer in terms of cannabis law reform, and the Conservatives, Bloc Québécois and People’s Party of Canada had nothing in the way of cannabis law reform in their platforms. (3)
Under the heading “Enhancing our justice system,” the federal NDP currently have limited their cannabis policy reform goals to expunging criminal records for those convicted of “minor cannabis possession” charges. (4) The NDP have also repeatedly called for an end to excise taxes on med pot, (5) and have argued that crossing into the U.S. should be made easier for Canadians with convictions for simple possession or for those who have admitted to using cannabis. (6)
But this new, official, Green Party pot policy goes much, much further than any proposed NDP reform. If adopted, Canada would become the most pot-friendly country on the planet by far, and cannabis would finally be regulated like the soft drug/herbal medicine that it actually is.
I asked the policy’s author – Signe Knutson – a bunch of questions in an email. Here are her answers. Her policy as written and adopted – word for word – follows below.
8 Questions about the new Green Party cannabis policy with Signe Knutson
- Your proposal – which passed in a vote of the federal Green Party’s “Virtual General Meeting” on March 26th, 2022 with a final vote of 95% in favour – was named the “Relieve Law Enforcement & the Criminal Justice System of the Portfolio of Cannabis Prosecution” policy, and had as a main objective of limiting “cannabis regulations to those of other non-lethal drugs such as coffee, ideally; fair trade, organic standards” – correct?
A: The final vote to pass the three policies together (one that acknowledges Systemic Racism, one for Meaningful Oversight of the RCMP and mine) was 95%. Previous to that was a vote on mine that passed by 75% to keep it in the bundle, and previous to that it passed with a 55% that meant it did not have to go to be further workshopped. Prior to that it was sponsored by many Greens to get into the policy proposals to begin with.
Yes, a big part of truly legalizing cannabis is to acknowledge that it is best recognised as a soft drug, as with medicinal herbs is it “Generally Regarded as Safe”, and that the best way to regulate it for safety and efficacy is to ensure clean, sustainable farming and preparation practices.
- So – best case scenario – the Green Party is voted into power and they would immediately dismantle the remaining cannabis prohibitions and pot could be grown as easily as a coffee plant?
A: Easier than coffee! Cannabis loves our climate, especially as the seed breeders have worked for decades (actually thousands of years) to select and breed plants that grow better in various lengths of seasons and climates according to conditions worldwide. Nobody is harmed by looking at a plant – therefore there need be no restrictions on visibility of a plant, and if gardening possibilities are opened up, no one will need to grow in their closet or basement anymore – they can have beautiful houseplants, greenhouses, gardens or herb farms without fear of being raided, arrested or fined.
- So, in essence, the result of this policy becoming law is that anyone will be able to grow cannabis, anyone will be able to sell cannabis, and anyone – regardless of their age – will be able to consume cannabis. Is that right?
A: If Bill C-45 (the Cannabis Act) were actually true legalization, this would already be the case. Like any other substance, food or herb, cannabis would be accessible to all for responsible use, growing, and economic benefit.
This new law would simply relieve the police of their duty of incarceration and confiscation for perceived cannabis violations. We still need to work on the level of injustice levied on medical cannabis users, growers, compassion clubs and other providers – since they are still being shut down, not necessarily only by cops, but by bureaucratic fines, levies, impossibly high charges and limited availability for licensing. While cops would be relieved of arresting people, raiding shops and lounges (ending the main danger inherent in pot use) the bureaucracy also needs to end, limiting regulation to quality control – otherwise regular business practices (business licenses, fairness in employment) suffice to make sure it’s a positive market. Compassion clubs and herb lounges are essential for safe use and affordable life-saving medicine and the current “legalization” has them struggling for existence. The medical users whose needs should come first are the ones who have been thrown under the bus by the stampede of corporate weed investors and the onerous obstacle course for compassion clubs to become licensed. Indeed, compassion clubs and small producers should have an exemption to multiple requirements as they do not profit the same way as the (multi-)national corporations do.
- You mentioned to me that one way the Green Party has an influence on Canadian politics is that other parties steal their ideas. If the Greens do well in the next federal election, is it possible another party – say, the NDP – would adopt their policy proposal to steal votes away from them?
A: Absolutely. It is a long-standing tradition of the NDP and Liberals to take the best policies from the Green platform (Proportional Representation, Sustainable Forestry, Guaranteed Liveable Income are prime examples) during the campaign and use them as talking points when they run for office, then drop them like hot rocks once elected.
One of the main roles of the Green Party, apart from getting environmentalists elected and officiating, is to change the narrative of debate from potholes and finger-pointing to sustainability and human rights. Although major change in voting procedures is needed (electoral reform), Greens run in elections not only to get elected. For myself, I go into an election with the objective of bringing important subjects to light. In this way, whether or not I, or other Greens are elected, the proposals we have brought forth become part of the debate and shift the focus. If we win seats all the better. If we become government, we have the best opportunity to finally turn this big ship around.
We have seen both on the provincial and federal levels that the NDP and Liberals talk about sustainability and legalization, then continue with the old practices destroying old growth forests (as an example) and padding the wallets of their cronies anyway.
- In a coalition government situation – where Green Party candidates could join up with a minority Liberal or NDP government to form a majority government – is it possible that this type of pot policy reform might be negotiated into law in return for Green Party support of that government?
A: This is a best case scenario and definitely one we would aim for. Cooperation is the best way forward. We have seen how damaging the current system is. However, our elected MPs are very strong and vocal and are not bound to vote along with the Liberals or NDP, they would still vote their conscience – Indeed, our “no party whip” policy means that even elected Greens do not need to vote together on any laws.
- Did the Greens know what they were voting for, and how radical it would be, and how much heat they might get for opening up growing, selling and using to every Canadian?
A: Yes. All Green Party of Canada members had the opportunity to read and review it well ahead of the vote. Throughout the process I heard iterations of, “I agree with you, this is a good policy, but it might not pass because it is so radical.” But I did my due diligence in research and development and got the support of deep and progressive Greens. In the end it was about helping everyone realize that law enforcement is the most dangerous part of pot – and that by relieving cops of that duty, it is actually harm reduction. (Harm reduction on so many levels – no arrests, no jail, no charges PLUS the big green elephant in the room – Cannabis is a powerful opioid replacement that with adequate and affordable availability can save lives in the epidemic opioid crisis.)
- Did you encounter any Reefer Madness 2.0 during the debating of this policy proposal? Did anyone say “what about the developing minds of the children?!?” or anything like that?
A: Most likely they did between themselves – what I heard more of was the old rhetoric of “If anyone can grow there will be more grow-houses and damaged property.” I didn’t respond to the old arguments – pot activists for decades have covered those points many times. I stood my ground with the fact that in more than 5000 years of recorded use, cannabis has never killed anyone, and indeed treats numerous deadly diseases and helps millions of people, and the only regulations needed are health and business regulations, not criminal prosecution. I might mention here that any health-related concerns of any substance are just that, health concerns -not criminal concerns.
- One of the “supporting comments” you made to sell the proposal was
“The continued law enforcement of cannabis regulations justifies over-regulation of hemp, causing more onerous restrictions on growing and using this resource, which effectively prevents hemp from becoming the green energy powerhouse with potential to mitigate climate change that it is.”
Do you think the Green Party members understand how important hemp ethanol is to avoiding the worst of climate destabilization, and how much of a vote-getter it might be with the ever-growing, highly motivated climate activist community?
A: Yes, I believe many Greens do understand that hemp is a far-under-developed powerhouse of fuel, from hemp ethanol, bio-diesel, and hemp batteries to passive heat from insulation and composting. When hemp is available for all farmers to grow without oppressive restrictions (minimum acreage, only certain seed providers) the influx of hemp energy and savings, and net carbon reduction are truly planet life saving! With this policy in our platform, many Greens will be able to communicate to ecological voters that we have real solutions to climate change, not just greenwashing and buying-pipelines-to-pay-for-climate solutions (insert eye-roll emoji here.)
I know many Greens are proponents who understand the viability of cannabis as a fuel, building material, plastic and elastic polymer, cloth and paper fiber, high quality food (Omega 3-6-9 essential fatty acids, as well as high quality protein and carbs), medicinal panacea, not to mention it is a soft drug that is less harmful than coffee. I also know many would be relieved to know that they can enjoy and participate in this revolution (in the true sense of the word – a turnaround) without risk of being arrested, having their medicine or other product confiscated and in general feeling safe to use one of the safest and most beneficial plants on the planet.
I also know many people are concerned with the ever-increasing budget and lack of oversight on our law enforcement agencies. By removing cannabis from the purview of law enforcement and the criminal justice system we address police budgets and a degree of systemic racism as well. This is why I am very happy that the organizers of the policy process put the systemic racism, RCMP oversight and Cannabis policies together to be voted on – they are very connected.
Many plants have been overlooked for their efficacy since big paper, metal, plastic, chemical, forestry and med corporations belittled and outlawed their use in the 20th century. Let’s allow the plastic era to end now and the regenerative plant era to flourish. Heck, hemp even removes carcinogens and radiation from the soil while sequestering carbon.
Cannabis is our co-evolutionary plant partner, as you like to say, Malmo-Levine, and it is by consciously evolving and encouraging the full use of this plant and others to their sustainable-greatest extent that we can navigate and mitigate the twin-challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change. I truly believe we are evolving, and it is time for big, old ideas to take deep root. Even if you’ve never voted Green before – as a cannabis aficionado, you now know who has the policy that will end the police raids on non-violent cannabis culture in Canada.
Peace out.
Relieve Law Enforcement and the Criminal Justice System of the Portfolio of Cannabis Prosecution
Code: G21-P041
Proposal Type: Policy
Submitter Name: Signe Knutson
Proposal: The Green Party of Canada will remove hemp, recreational, and medicinal cannabis from the purview of law enforcement, ending arrests and raids on cannabis growers, users and sellers. The Green Party of Canada will grant amnesty to those charged with, and expunge criminal records of, former cannabis convictions.
Objective: Relieve law enforcement and the criminal justice system of the portfolio of cannabis prosecution. Objectives are harm reduction, racial justice, medical autonomy, mitigation of ecological crises and transition to a prosperous green economy. Limit cannabis regulations to those of other non-lethal drugs such as coffee, ideally; fair trade, organic standards.
Benefit: By removing cannabis from the purview of law enforcement, the debate of whether, or how cannabis should be removed from the criminal code or controlled substances act is circumvented. The harm (disproportionately borne by people of colour) of being arrested, fined, beaten, or having medicine confiscated by police, is reduced.
Supporting Comments: from Submitter: Removing cannabis from the purview of law enforcement circumvents the debatable questions of whether and when cannabis should be removed from the controlled substances act or the criminal code. When cannabis is fully legal it is a widely accessible and utilisable resource. Law enforcement for cannabis offences can end, saving billions of dollars and countless hours for the criminal justice system. That money can be re-allocated to the community and people who need it most. Criminal records can be expunged and amnesty granted. The growth, sale and use of a non-toxic, non-lethal substance should not be a crime. Cannabis is a medicinal herb, generally regarded as safe, with zero recorded deaths due to overdose or toxicity in over 5000 years of recorded medical use. Medical cannabis treats many ailments including cancer, while pain-killing and anti-inflammatory qualities can help people wean off opioids and other prescription painkillers with minimal side-effects. Hemp is a versatile crop which produces food, fuel, building materials, paper, cloth and plastics. Cannabis can be Canada’s most beneficial and prosperous industry while mitigating multiple crises. It can clean the soil of contaminants and radioactivity, reduce erosion and is a carbon sink. The continued law enforcement of cannabis regulations justifies overregulation of hemp, causing more onerous restrictions on growing and using this resource, which effectively prevents hemp from becoming the green energy powerhouse with potential to mitigate climate change that it is. Cannabis arrests disproportionately target people of colour and the poor, resulting in incarcerations, fines, criminal records, beatings and deaths; an undue burden for the already disadvantaged, their families and communities. Police budgets are over-funded for prosecuting “legal” offences. The greatest harm of cannabis is law enforcement related, especially for teens for whom pot use is still illegal. Bill C-45 created a legal market for those who are able to afford millions of dollars of licensing and infrastructure requirements, shutting out operations such as medicinal cannabis dispensaries with raids, closure, fines and arrests. Raids by police continue to cause undue hardship to compassion clubs and Indigenous-owned medical cannabis dispensaries. Over-regulation and prohibitively expensive licensing requirements will be replaced by business licenses and lab-testing of samples for cannabinoid levels, contaminants and quality. Each First Nation community will govern their own cannabis policy.
Supporting links:
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2020014-eng.htm
https://www.projectcbd.org/medicine/no-brainer-cbd-thc-head-injuries
http://pot-facts.ca/multiple-reports-indicate-no-rise-in-psychosis-accompanies-increases-in-pot-use-rates/
https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/300700/BC-Hemp-announces-2-billion-bioe
https://cdpe.org/publication/how-diverse-is-canadas-legal-cannabis-industry-examining-race-and-gender-of-its-executives-and-directors/
Green Value(s): Ecological Wisdom, Sustainability, Social Justice, Respect for Diversity, Non-Violence.
Relation to Existing Policies: Rescind and replace 1988 – Cannabis Law Reform.
https://www.greenparty.ca/en/convention-2021/voting/proposals/g21-p041
Citations
1) “Bill C-45: Elizabeth May submits amendments to the Cannabis Act to protect criminalized youth, marginalized groups,” October 06, 2017
https://www.greenparty.ca/en/media-release/2017-10-06/elizabeth-may-submits-amendments-bill-c-45-cannabis-act-protect
2) “Green Party calls for reform of cannabis regulations,” September 19, 2019
https://www.greenparty.ca/en/media-release/2019-09-19/green-party-calls-reform-cannabis-regulations
3) “Where Canada’s Political Parties Stand On Marijuana And Drugs Ahead Of The Election,” October 16, 2019
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/where-canadas-political-parties-stand-on-marijuana-and-drugs-ahead-of-the-election/
4) “We will also proactively expunge criminal records for Canadians convicted of minor cannabis possession. With cannabis now legal in Canada, too many people are still burdened with criminal records for simple possession – records that mean real hardships that affect their employment opportunities and their ability to travel. These records for minor cannabis possession will be completely erased, allowing people to get on with building their lives.”
https://www.ndp.ca/courage?focus=13934163¬hing=nothing
https://www.ndp.ca/cannabis-en
https://www.ndp.ca/news/ndp-table-amnesty-bill-past-pot-possessions
5) https://www.ndp.ca/news/ndp-urges-morneau-end-excise-tax-medical-cannabis
https://www.ndp.ca/news/new-democrats-want-answers-excise-tax-imposed-medical-cannabis
https://www.ndp.ca/news/ndp-slams-liberal-medicinal-cannabis-tax
6) https://www.ndp.ca/news/liberals-must-secure-border-crossing-agreement-us-light-cannabis-legalization-ndp
