Cross Country Checkup·Checkup Episode

Are you ready for legal marijuana?

The government has delayed its plans to legalize marijuana once, and it's under pressure to delay again. Concerns about the details are still rolling in from Indigenous groups to doctors, from schools to the police, and even real estate vendors.
Mature cannabis plants are seen in a greenhouse at Glass House Farms in Carpinteria, California. (Jae C. Hong/The Associated Press)

More from this episode:

GUESTS | LIVE CHAT | LINKS & ARTICLES | PODCAST

If you're one of an estimated five million Canadians who consumed marijuana last year — and you're wondering when it will no longer be against the law — well, things remain hazy.

The government's July 1st deadline for legalization went up in smoke, but the Prime Minister is insisting Canadians will be able to light up legally this summer.

It's about taking the profits out the hands of organized crime and keeping pot out the hands of youth, Justin Trudeau says.

While there may be no exact date, the government is facing pressure to delay again. Concerns about the details of legalizing marijuana are still rolling in from Indigenous groups to doctors and schools to police. 

Even real estate vendors are weighing in saying the plan to allow Canadians to grow up to four plants at home could make some properties uninsurable. Police worry it could increase property crime. 

What about driving while stoned? Plans to beef up the impaired driving law are stalled as some say it's unconstitutional. How confident are you in the way police test marijuana impairment?

And how about edible pot which still won't be legal? Where will people be allowed to smoke marijuana? What risks do teens face when they consume cannabis? 

The Senate votes on the cannabis bill next month. Do you support Conservative senators who are pushing back, or, like the marijuana retailers gearing up for production do you think it's high time to get on with it?

Guests

William Steinberg, mayor of Hampstead, Que.

Dr. Franco Vaccarino, president of University of Guelph, neuroscientist and proponent of a plan to help protect vulnerable populations under Canada's new marijuana legislation

Sylvain Charlebois, food distribution professor at Dalhousie University

Neil Dubord, chief of Delta Police Department in Delta, B.C.

Bill Blair, Liberal MP and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice

Live Chat

What we're reading

CBC.ca

Maclean's

The Globe and Mail

National Post

Global News

National Newswatch

Toronto Star

Ottawa Citizen

Delta Optimist