Indopedia All Things Marijuana
Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health is the latest official to call on the Trudeau government to immediately decriminalize pot possession in Canada.
Dr. Eileen de Villa has joined the nearly deafening chorus of people who feel that charging anyone with pot possession ahead of the 2018 scheduled legalization is counterproductive.
In her newly released report, Toronto’s medical chief said, “given that cannabis possession will soon be lawful in Canada, it is recommended that the Board of Health urge the federal government to immediately decriminalize the possession of non-medical cannabis for personal use.”
The report outlines how the criminalization of cannabis use can negatively affect an individual’s health, mainly from a social perspective. The doctor brings attention to the long-term consequences that can happen with a possession arrest, including limiting someone’s access to employment and housing if they have a criminal record.
Based on estimates stated in the report, there will be approximately 59,000 charges laid and 22,000 convictions for possession before cannabis is legalized in Canada.
Although the suggestion of decriminalization is a seemingly…
