New York Times Slams Canada’s Cannabis Conviction Clean-up
NYT Finds Canada Largely Delivered on Promises of Inequity, but There Are Gaping Holes – LPC
The New York Times (NYT) slammed Canada’s cannabis conviction clean-up efforts in an article published over the weekend.
“Legal pot has made Canadian justice a little fairer, with ‘heavily racialized’ arrests for possession mostly ending,” the article starts. “But vows on amnesty, illicit sales and Indigenous inclusion are works in progress.”
The positives in NYT’s view: Canada has made great strides in terms of cannabis and racism, and systemic discrimination. It’s an issue that has plagued both sides of the border.
The negatives: there is still a long way to go, especially in terms of Indigenous communities. From the beginning, Indigenous leaders across Canada stated that the Cannabis Act leaves Indigenous communities behind. Cannabis jurisdiction remains muddled still on First Nations. Inclusivity in terms of cannabis ownership is also lacking in Canada.
And, while arrests are down, Canada’s cannabis conviction clean-up efforts are almost non-existent. Cannabis expungements are still a contentious issue that doesn’t seem to have an end in sight. The Illinois state government, which just legalized cannabis on January 1, 2021, has already expunged cannabis records for a half-million people. But in Canada, people have to go through their own legal process to get cannabis pardons, which doesn’t remove convictions from their records.
Another negative according to the NYT is that the illegal cannabis market still exists. Although true, the criticism misses the mark in this case. Canada’s legal cannabis market outpaced the illegal cannabis market last year in terms of sales. Is it reasonable to believe it should be eliminated by now? Prohibition in most places in Canada ended over 90 years ago, and there is still illegal alcohol. The same is true of tobacco, which was never illegal.
Still Need to Work on Cannabis Conviction Clean-up and Inclusivity
All in all, the NYT provides an honest, balanced assessment of Canada’s cannabis industry. It is clear that more needs to be done in terms of Canada’s cannabis conviction clean-up and inclusivity. The illegal market needs more work too. But we knew that already.
Click here to view full story at www.nytimes.com
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