#CannabisAmnesty

[verolynne]

Brooks says “#happy420! Amnesty for Cannabis Crimes!” #br00k3z #brooksbrooksbrooks #dogsofinstagram #cannabisamnesty https://www.instagram.com/p/CcmNebysdkp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[abiroach]

""The real victims of prohibition, the people arrested and jailed for its crimes, deserve not only an apology but also a relief from the burden set upon them, the label of being a criminal." - @abiroach420 of @hotboxcafe⠀⠀ .⠀⠀ Thank you Abi for endorsing us! ⠀⠀ .⠀⠀ Read her full statement www.cannabisamnesty.ca/endorsements⠀⠀ .⠀⠀ .⠀⠀ .⠀⠀ #MyCannabisStory #RightingHistorysWrongs #CannabisAmnesty #CannabisAct #cannabis #cannabinoid #cannabiscup #cannabisclub #cannabissociety #marijuana #weedthenorth #thc #cbd"⠀ ⠀ Photo credit @cannabisamnesty⠀ (at Kensington Market) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpW32MKhdZF/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ngge28dthmjp

[grizzlemedia-blog]

Aurora Cannabis Funds Amnesty Campaign For Convicted Pot Possessors

Aurora Cannabis is helping to fund a cannabis amnesty campaign that's urging Canada's federal government to absolve those convicted of marijuana possession. #convictions #cannabis Read the full article

[www-friendly-stranger-com]

#Repost @flatshanlon • • • • • • Very important news. The coolest head shop in Toronto is having a 25th anniversary sale this Saturday July 27th where EVERYTHING will be 25% off. What’s makes them so cool you ask? Well besides being one of the oldest & most popular shops in the city (my aunt HAD to bring me here when I was 18) and besides their iconic location on Queen Street West, they give back to the city and the cannabis community that supports them. All month long they have been fundraising for @cannabisamnesty : an organization made up of incredible people doing great work to help expunge people’s cannabis convictions. Couldn’t be cooler than that in my books. I did some shopping today and got the cutest jellyfish pipe! The staff gave me a commemorative sticker and told me they will also have door prizes & pins & t-shirts & limited edition pipes for sale on Saturday! #thefriendlystranger #queenstreetwest #headshop https://ift.tt/30Rxch2

[kidcarra]

It's not to say cannabis has never negatively impacted individuals, it's to say the most dangerous part of cannabis since the early 20th century has been getting caught with it. The laws breach personal freedom, withhold rights to medication, block scientific research, and have a results affected millions upon millions of people . Even in Canada where it's "legalized", there are still countless victims of cannabis related laws. Follow @cannabisamnesty to learn more 🇨🇦🌿 - #marijuanajustice #thelaw #jonik #medicalmarijuana #victims #policethepolice #420club #rally #420smokers #710society #stonersdaily #stonersociety #weedmeme #weedmemes #420memes #stonermemes #instaweed420 #instaweed #instapot #instacannabis #insta420 #weedstagram #weedstagram420 #710 #freetheweed #legalizeit #legalization #laws #weeddaily #toronto420 https://www.instagram.com/p/BuJtpZaBnmh/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=6i9u5ak8nspx

[picardonhealth]

Canada needs to clear the air – and wipe away criminal records for marijuana

The war on drugs has failed miserably, and as legalization approaches, the federal government’s new rules should retroactively give a blank slate to those needlessly prosecuted in the past

André Picard, The Globe and Mail 

Friday, June 29, 2018

From the archives: This article was originally published January 15, 2018

Legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada is only a few months away, but it's going to take a lot longer than that to clean up the mess left behind from almost a century of prohibition. One of the most pressing issues has to be to wipe the slate clean for Canadians who have criminal records for possession.

When Bill C-45 (the Cannabis Act) was tabled, the government said there would be no general amnesty for past convictions. But now it seems the Liberals are starting to come to their senses – at least a bit.

At a cabinet retreat last week in London, Ont., federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the government is examining the implications of possible pardons or record suspensions, but no action would be taken until after July 1.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for his part, acknowledged that a lot of people have been harmed by having criminal records for possession of a drug that will soon be legal. But, in the same breath, he said that people will continue to be prosecuted for possession of marijuana until a "legalized and controlled regime is in place – not before."

Mr. Trudeau's dubious justification for this hardline approach is that "anyone who is currently purchasing marijuana is participating in illegal activity that is funding criminal organizations and street gangs."

The PM needs to be reminded that one of the principal reasons legalization makes sense is having a criminal record is a lot worse for a person's health than smoking pot. It can make finding a job, getting a bank loan and travelling much more difficult, not to mention that prosecuting people for buying a few grams of pot to get high is a tremendous waste of police and court resources.

For decades now, tens of thousands of people a year have been busted for possession. Racialized and low-income Canadians have been disproportionately prosecuted and harmed.

In 2016 alone – after it was clear that cannabis would be legalized – there were 55,000 cannabis-related charged laid under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act – 76 per cent of them for simple possession – according to Statistics Canada. That number has been falling for years as police and prosecutors began to recognize the absurdity of the law. Judges have also increasingly imposed suspended sentences and small fines.

In other jurisdictions that have legalized cannabis, such as California, they simply removed the crime of possession from the books – and did so retroactively. They also reduced penalties for cultivating and selling cannabis.

Canada is taking a much more convoluted and outdated approach. Under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, there are currently eight cannabis-related offences, such as possession, trafficking, importing and exporting. Under the Cannabis Act, there will be 45 offences, and many penalties will be far stiffer.

Under the new law, it will be legal for individuals to possess up to 30 grams (one ounce) of cannabis and grow up to four plants for personal consumption. (Those rules, however, vary a bit by province.)

Cannabis will be highly regulated; the new legal regime does not create a laissez-faire environment. For example, public possession of more than 30 grams of pot will be a crime, as will "unauthorized promotion."

The new law will also create something called "illicit cannabis" – covering all products that are not purchased in a provincially-regulated store, or grown legally. If you distribute "illicit cannabis" to a minor, i.e. share a joint with a teenager or sell them a bit of pot, you could face a $15,000 fine and 18 months in prison for a summary offence and up to 14 years in prison for an indictable offence.

By comparison, selling liquor to a minor will land you a maximum fine of $10,000 in most provinces.

Selling cannabis without a licence will also be a crime with stiff penalties – up to 14 years in prison – which could prove problematic for dispensaries in provinces that are creating a state-run monopoly, such as Ontario and Quebec. Ontario, which has vowed to shut down dispensaries, has also threatened additional fines of up to $1-million.

In the U.S. jurisdictions that have legalized marijuana – six states and three more coming in 2018 – criminal charges have dropped sharply. But, in Canada, that's not a given, and that's most unfortunate. Ottawa needs to not only expunge the records of those who have been charged with possession in the past, but ensure it does not perpetuate the morally and rationally-untenable litany of prosecutions of recreational drug users that are the hallmark of the failed war on drugs.

[annagwebster84]

Join Jodie Emery at Toronto’s 20th Anniversary Global Marijuana March

CANNABIS CULTURE - This Saturday, Cannabis Culture's own Princess of Pot, Jodie Emery, will lead the pack of cannabis activists rising up to take back the streets of Toronto. From Emery's twitter feed "Tomorrow, Saturday May 5th — join hundreds of thousands of cannabis advocates, patients & allies rallying worldwide for our annual #GlobalMarijuanaMarch! I’m at the #Toronto @GMMLIVE 2pm march and 4pm @CannabisAmnesty launch & @SensibleON RISE UP rally at #QueensPark! ✌🏻💚🙌🏻https://t.co/TqUWprdYZI" This year's…

from Cannabis News https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2018/05/04/join-jodie-emery-at-torontos-20th-anniversary-global-marijuana-march

[bettymmillerny]

Join Jodie Emery at Toronto’s 20th Anniversary Global Marijuana March

CANNABIS CULTURE - This Saturday, Cannabis Culture's own Princess of Pot, Jodie Emery, will lead the pack of cannabis activists rising up to take back the streets of Toronto. From Emery's twitter feed "Tomorrow, Saturday May 5th — join hundreds of thousands of cannabis advocates, patients & allies rallying worldwide for our annual #GlobalMarijuanaMarch! I’m at the #Toronto @GMMLIVE 2pm march and 4pm @CannabisAmnesty launch & @SensibleON RISE UP rally at #QueensPark! ✌🏻💚🙌🏻https://t.co/TqUWprdYZI" This year's…

from Cannabis News https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2018/05/04/join-jodie-emery-at-torontos-20th-anniversary-global-marijuana-march

[emilyjtayloril]

Join Jodie Emery at Toronto’s 20th Anniversary Global Marijuana March

CANNABIS CULTURE - This Saturday, Cannabis Culture's own Princess of Pot, Jodie Emery, will lead the pack of cannabis activists rising up to take back the streets of Toronto. From Emery's twitter feed "Tomorrow, Saturday May 5th — join hundreds of thousands of cannabis advocates, patients & allies rallying worldwide for our annual #GlobalMarijuanaMarch! I’m at the #Toronto @GMMLIVE 2pm march and 4pm @CannabisAmnesty launch & @SensibleON RISE UP rally at #QueensPark! ✌🏻💚🙌🏻https://t.co/TqUWprdYZI" This year's…

from Cannabis News https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2018/05/04/join-jodie-emery-at-torontos-20th-anniversary-global-marijuana-march

[tumamek]

As you may know cannabis is now officially legal in Canada. While people are celebrating this new acquired freedom, plenty of Canadians are still in jail or have a criminal record just for possessing something that is now legal.

More outrageous, in Montreal, in Halifax, in Regina, in Edmonton, in Vancouver, in Ottawa and throughout Canada, Black and Indigenous are over-policed and are over-represented in cannabis possession arrests; and this over-policing of Black and Indigenous bodies will only get worse with Bill C-46, a document giving the right to the police to demand you a breath sample for no reason.

In an attempt to correct this historical wrong and this racial injustice; last spring, Annamaria Enenajor, a black female lawyer, founded the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty which is now composed of lawyers, teachers, social workers, entrepreneurs, activists, etc. who are for the majority PoC. This campaign advocates, not for pardons like the government plans to do, but for a total expungement; a complete erasure, of this convicted offence from the person’s record, so it would no longer impact their life.

Right now, they’re trying to raise five thousands dollars and get 10 000 signatures. You can help and support this campaign by signing the petition and/or by donating money.

Here’s their Twitter, Facebook and website.

[abiroach]

what’s more Canadian then snowstorms & Cannabis ? Snow or Snain, join us tonight for the @NORMLcanada town hall 6pm @ Daniels Spectrum www.tinyurl.com/NORMLevent1 Panel: @beynate 🇨🇦 @abiroach420 @cannabisamnesty @cfamm_can Moderated by @deejayndn & @flatshanlon Free (suggested donation at the door) #newnorml #normlcanada https://www.instagram.com/p/BtyV0LmhwjA/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jz3j7e2n9vpz

[abiroach]

Join us for a discussion on what is next in the legalization process for Canadians FEB 12 6pm @ Daniels Spectrum 585 Dundas E @NORMLCanada is proud to host a town hall event w/Liberal M.P. @beynate speaker panel : Jack Lloyd (NORML) @abiroach420 (NORML) Gerald Major (@cfamm_can ) Stephanie DiGuiseppe (@cannabisamnesty ) moderated by : @flatshanlon (Big Brother Canada) Ian Campeau @deejayndn (founding member Tribe Called Red) Event is FREE (suggested donation $20 at event). A big thank you to ArtScape for providing us with such an amazing space Seating is limited to 250 seats, so be sure to get your tickets! In association with CFAMM & Cannabis Amnesty. (at Daniels Spectrum) https://www.instagram.com/p/BttJpQFhQuG/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xn00rj4q54nd