Pubdate: Fri, 21 Apr 2017
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2017 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Matthew Olson
Page: A4
Referenced: Cannabis Act: http://mapinc.org/url/Kd46SXou

LIGHTING UP AT THE LEGISLATURE

Marijuana enthusiasts gather to celebrate annual holiday in haze of
smoke

THE rain may have thinned the crowds - and clouds of smoke - at the
Winnipeg 4/20 celebration Thursday, but cannabis supporters still kept
their spirits high and their joints lit.

People gathered together on the lawn and sidewalks outside of the
Manitoba legislature for the event held every April 20. More planning
went into this year's festivities than ever before, with vendors and
food trucks lining the street.

This year was a bit different than it has been in the past. Now that
the federal Liberal government has tabled a bill to make marijuana
legal by Canada Day in 2018, there is cause for celebration - and some
frustration.

Garry, a 76-year-old man who struggles with multiple medical
conditions, started using cannabis oil to help combat symptoms of Lyme
disease two years ago. For him, the new federal bill can't be in place
soon enough.

"I just wish it would hurry up," Garry said. "It'll help everybody.
There's people worse than me who need it."

Revellers at the 4/20 celebrations said they used marijuana for
medical

Tor recreational purposes - or both. One young woman jokingly said she
uses it "religiously," as in every day. A recent survey conducted by
the Angus Reid Institute indicates the majority of Canadians support
the Liberals' proposed Cannabis Act, with 63 per cent in favour of the
legislation.

But the federal act doesn't mean marijuana will be freely available to
obtain and use. There will still be controls in place for how much can
be possessed and how the product can be marketed and sold.

"Legalization is the ability to consume (marijuana) of your own free
will. That's what legalization should be," Mathew Monasterski said.

Monasterski owns the Winnipeg branch of Weeds Glass and Gifts, a
medical marijuana corporation in Canada. He and his close friend and
store manager, Christopher Thede, both dressed in black blazers,
believe this bill is more government regulation than
legalization.

"You can't look at it as a complete negative because we are moving
forward," Thede said. "Even a little bit of regulation is better than
criminalization."

It's not only business owners who share that opinion. Considering
legalization was a major campaign promise for the Liberal government,
there were plenty of smokers at the event who say they are losing
their faith in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"What they're doing isn't exactly what they've said. I don't trust
this government to get it right," Mike Remillard said, rolling the
stubby remains of a joint between his fingers. "(The legislation) is
still pretty weak."

Remillard called himself a medicinal user, but admitted with a chuckle
he starting smoking marijuana long before he even knew he had anxiety.
At 37 years old, Remillard has been smoking for 21 years. He calls
marijuana a much better alternative to "getting drunk" and "getting in
fights."

"Ask any cop whether they'd rather deal with a pothead or a drunk. I'd
guarantee they'd say pothead," Remillard said, gesturing to the groups
of people sitting together in circles on the grass behind him. "There
won't be any fights here today."

Despite the mixed feelings over what the future of marijuana might
look like, the crowd remained friendly and upbeat. Strangers shared
joints and passed around bongs on the steps up to the legislature even
after the short rainfall threatened to derail the festivities.

Across the event, every cannabis user had the same message: it's good
for you and it doesn't hurt anyone. Or as a chant in the pro-marijuana
march put it, "No victim, no crime."

A cannabis and human-rights activist, who goes by the name Donna Jo,
said marijuana has been unfairly "demonized" in our society and many
people simply don't understand the possible benefits.

"The sooner we get on educating the public, the better," she said. "We
are moving (marijuana) from the illegal world to the legal world."

With the Cannabis Act set to come into effect next summer, users such
as Garry are cautiously optimistic about the future.

"I didn't think I'd ever get this far. And I'd like to get a little
bit further," Garry said.
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MAP posted-by: Matt