What is the Green Party Policy on Pot?

As a likely wiser person than myself recently told me, it would be better to not have a policy on recreational drugs (like pot).  The topic dredges up too many emotions in most people.  Thus making it a loser.

But since it seems like the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana is firmly entrenched in Green Party policy and even the Conservatives have been making news about the issue recently, the policy should at least attempt to address the main stream concerns.

Currently Canadian law is very unevenly applied with respect to the use and possession of small amounts of pot.  In major cities open use is generally tolerated.  In smaller centers one can still get in serious trouble with the legal system.  It is not fair and needs to be changed.  And the change that is needed is fairly obvious.  Simple possession of small amounts of pot should not be a crime.

But Canadian law looks to moving beyond this simple premise.  We may see the de-criminalization of owning up to 5 marijuana plants.  And this type of clarity, especially from a Conservative government, is something of a surprise.  The police and the courts should be happy to finally be seeing some guidance as to what they should be concerned about.

So where does the Green Party stand on this possible change?  This seems like a rare bit of sanity from the current government on this issue.

There are still cries of protest that someone could face criminal charges for having as few as 6 pot plants.  But shouldn't grow operations that have the potential to become commercial still come under the state's control? 

Grow-ops in homes and apartments have caused massive damage to people's homes, devalued neighbour's properties, and are highly undesirable businesses to be operated in anyone's neighbourhood.

Just what is the Party position?  No one wants the apartment next door to be a grow-op or their next door neighbour to begin farming pot commercially in their backyard or basement.

And what about the right to re-sell and distribute?

Shouldn't recreational drugs like pot still be under some state control even if they are de-criminalized? 

Very few people are suggesting that cigarettes, alcohol, or prescription drugs should become completely unregulated products. 

And pot already has become a major problem within our school systems.  Most parents would greatly prefer that recreational drugs do not become any more accessible to their children than they are now.  Less accessible would be better.

Does the Party have a position on an individual's rights to distribute pot?  Does the Party have a position on how it would address parents worries?  These are valid concerns.  State control and regulation seem appropriate.

Another major news story of the day is Mr. Emery's inevitable incarceration in the USA for exporting marijuana seeds to the US.  And the US government has made it clear that they are concerned that the legalization of pot in Canada could make this illegal product more accessible in the US. The US isn't all that pleased with Canada's soft stance on pot now.

The USA has a right to pass different laws than Canada.  Doesn't Canada have an obligation to respect its neighbour's jurisdiction?  And a failure to respect the US right to be different is exactly what US lawmakers are reasonably afraid of.

Acknowledging change may be happening in the US at a different pace than in Canada on this issue.   Shouldn't Canada take steps to maintain good relations?  While the Party may be condemning Mr. Emery facing real jail time for something that he likely would not in Canada.  He committed a crime in the US and Canada does not set US jail sentences.

We would not appreciate a Country exporting illegal goods into Canada.  A reasonable solution may be to make it illegal here to export Canadian pot to any Country where the product is not legal.

But what is the Party's position?  It would seem the best choice is to respect your neighbour's rights, even if you disagree with them.

And I am sure a wiser person than me would easily find many more issues that are worthy of being addressed.

A simple issue seems very complicated when even a few of the potential problems are considered.  But there are very good reasons for fixing Canada's current pot laws.  At the very least, they are not working very well.  (It must be really bad if the Conservatives are proposing changes.)

I can understand the current mess is likely the result of this just not being a politically safe issue to address.  But it is in the news, changes to Canadian policy are underway, and voters are going to want to know where Greens stand.  And there isn't any real need to veer very far from the mainstream on this issue.

The Green Party has a 6-point policy on the marijuana issue that follows this post that does address some concerns and is more comprehensive than other Party's. The Green Party has been out front of this issue for several years.

The only "hole" may be that it  does not directly answer some of the more emotional questions that people have.  And it certainly does not address our neighbouring Country's concerns as yet.