The nugget., October 17, 2018, Page 21, Image 21

Wednesday, October 17, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Canada legalizing cannabis sales: How it will work
By The Associated Press
Canada is legalizing the
adult use of marijuana on
October 17 and will be the
second and largest country
to do so. The federal govern-
ment established the broad
outline of the legalization law
but left it up to provinces and
territories to fill in some of
the details — such as whether
to allow home grows, to
establish a legal purchase age
of 18 or 19, and whether to
sell through government-run
pot shops or private outlets.
Here’s a look at how the
industry will look, as well
as some key differences
between Canada’s approach
and that of the nine U.S.
states that have legalized so-
called recreational marijuana:
Canada’s Cannabis Act
allows people 18 and older
to buy marijuana online or in
retail stores. Most provinces
have raised the minimum age
to 19, however, to align with
the drinking age. In the U.S.,
states with recreational legal-
ization have an age limit of
21, which matches the drink-
ing age.
Canadian law sets a
30-gram limit on how much
people can buy at once or
possess in public. That’s just
over an ounce, which is the
possession limit in all but one
of the U.S. states with legal
pot — Maine’s limit is 2.5
ounces (71 grams). However,
there’s no limit on how much
Canadians can possess in
their homes.
The Canadian law also
allows for residents to grow
up to four plants at home,
though two provinces —
Quebec and Manitoba
— opted to forbid home-
growing. U.S. states includ-
ing California, Nevada,
Alaska and Colorado allow
home-growing of up to six
plants.
Unlike in the U.S., where
many types of products are
available, Canada is for
now allowing sales of only
dried cannabis flower, tinc-
tures, capsules and seeds.
Marijuana-infused foods and
concentrates are expected to
be available in about a year.
Residents across Canada
will be able to buy marijuana
online, through websites run
by each province — a handy
resource for cannabis users in
any cities that might decide
to ban pot shops. Most prov-
inces will have at least some
stores open next Wednesday,
ranging from 20 in New
Brunswick to a single store in
British Columbia. Hundreds
more are expected to open
nationwide over the next
year.
Federal taxes will total
$1 per gram or 10 percent,
whichever is more. The feds
will keep one-quarter of that
and return the rest to the prov-
inces, which can add their
own markups. Consumers
also will pay local sales taxes.
A key difference between
the Canadian and American
models is government
involvement. The main fed-
eral effort in the U.S. is to
enforce drug laws that still
treat marijuana as a con-
trolled substance.
In Canada, the federal
government regulates pro-
ducers. Canada so far has
licensed some 120 growers.
The provinces are tasked
with overseeing distribution.
Some will buy wholesale
ON THE CORNER OF
S. PINE ST. &
W. HOOD AVE.
marijuana and deliver it to
retail stores and, through
the federal postal service,
to online customers. The
government involvement in
distribution could help con-
trol prices, keeping them at
a level that is competitive
with the black market with-
out allowing overproduction
to threaten the viability of
licensed producers, experts
say.
In some U.S. states, espe-
cially Oregon, an oversupply
of legal pot has raised con-
cerns about product being
diverted to other states.
The only other country to
legalize marijuana is South
America’s Uruguay, which
has taken an extremely delib-
erate and strict approach.
There, pharmacies sell to
adults over 18, who can buy
up to 40 grams per month
— an amount tracked with
fingerprint recognition. Only
two types of cannabis are
available.
At the other end of the
regulation spectrum are U.S.
states, where legalization has
prompted a sort of green rush,
with companies trying to get
rich selling products from
vape cartridges to pre-rolled
joints to pot-infused sodas.
Canada is somewhere in
the middle. Some licensed
producers are huge compa-
nies, but there are also strict
regulations on packaging to
avoid appealing to youth and
a ban on many types of mari-
juana advertising, including
any that could be seen by
youth or that uses depictions
of celebrities.
Some U.S. states,
including Washington and
Colorado, test a driver’s
blood for marijuana impair-
ment. In Canada, officers will
for now rely on traditional
observations in enforcing
driving laws, but provinces
say they could adopt saliva
tests if one is approved by the
federal government.
While authorities have
placed signs on the Canadian
side of the border alert-
ing travelers that it remains
illegal to bring marijuana
into the U.S., some may not
realize they can be barred
from crossing for admitting
to marijuana use. The same
goes for those who tell U.S.
authorities they work in the
legal Canadian industry.
We’re going to see a
big problem at the
Canada-U.S. border,
— Peter MacKay
“We’re going to see a big
problem at the Canada-U.S.
border,” said Peter MacKay,
a former Conservative Party
justice, defense and foreign
minister. “It’s going to be
thousands if not hundreds of
thousands of Canadians who
are suddenly going to find
themselves inadmissible to
the United States.”
21
DONATION:
Hayden Homes boosts
Kiwanis program
Continued from page 3
Watson thinking about how
the company could be of sup-
port in every one of the com-
munities in which they build.
Today, Hayden Homes and
their nonprofit First Story
have donated $13.3 million to
programs in cities where they
build. In Sisters, that amounts
to $135,000 in donations to
local organizations.
First Story has enabled 75
families throughout Oregon,
Washington, and Idaho to
purchase a Hayden home with
a 30-year no-interest mort-
gage. In Sisters, one family
has been able to participate in
the First Story program.
Over 80 percent of Hayden
employees contribute to First
Story through regular pay-
roll deduction. The company
provides a 100 percent match
for every employee dollar
donated.
Every home purchaser is
also part of the First Story
effort, according to Flagan.
When a home is purchased,
there is a deed restriction
of one-eighth of 1 per-
cent (approximately $250)
attached to the home. When
the purchaser sells that home,
they pay the $250, which
helps fund First Story, thus
making all Hayden buyers a
part of providing affordable
housing for someone else.
Flagan told The Nugget,
“It is going to take public/pri-
vate partnerships to help with
affordable housing.”
Dr. Thomas R. Rheuben
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