Justice ministers push feds for answers on support for pot legalization
VANCOUVER — Canada’s justice ministers are asking for clarity and support as they scramble to organize and police an entirely new marijuana industry in fewer than 10 months.
British Columbia Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said he hopes this week’s meeting between federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and her provincial and territorial counterparts will provide more answers about how the Canadian government intends to make good on its plans to legalize pot by summer 2018.
“Obviously, I think the July time frame is a challenge,” he said. “But right now that’s the timeline, that’s the time frame that we’re working towards.”
The justice ministers began two days of meetings in Vancouver on Thursday. Besides pot, the agenda includes discussions around how the justice system deals with people who don’t disclose their HIV status to their sexual partners and the fallout from a Supreme Court of Canada decision that puts a time limit on how long it takes to prosecute a criminal charges.