Scott
was at a so-called town hall meeting this week attended by Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau.
Options Available
Here’s
an idea that might seem unique to Scott and others: don’t break the law in the
first place and put yourself in the position of possibly being charged,
especially since possession of marijuana is currently against the law.
Not
breaking the law is easy to understand, especially if you’re concerned that a
criminal record for breaking the law could hamper your employment chances. Town Hall Q & A
Trudeau took questions from the audience and explained the federal government’s reasons for intending to legalize possession of recreational marijuana. The current law criminalizing possession should be changed, he said, because it does not treat all Canadians fairly or equally:
"…there's a lot of unfairness to
Canadians in the current approach," Trudeau said.
Money & Connections Save Reputations
To
show how everyone charged with pot possession isn't treated equally, Trudeau
shared the little-known example of the privileged treatment his late younger
brother Michel got after being charged with possession of marijuana about 20
years ago.
Trudeau
said his father, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, used his money and influence to
make Michel’s charge of possession disappear.
"My dad…reached out to his
friends in the legal community, got the best possible lawyer and was going
to...make those charges go away.
"We were able to do that because we had
resources…connections, and...were confident...my...little brother wasn’t going
to be saddled with a criminal record for life" (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/programs/metromorning/prime-minister-trudeau-marijuana-possession-1.4086900).
All Things Not Equal
“...People from minority
communities...without economic resources are not going to have that option…”
Trudeau said.
“...One of the fundamental
unfairnesses of this current system, is it affects different people differently…
"Canada’s
supposed to be fair to everyone, and that’s one of the reasons we are going to
be changing the laws…but...until we...change the law, we can’t take
steps...retroactively" (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/programs/metromorning/prime-minister-trudeau-marijuana-possession-1.4086900).
Thus far, Trudeau has said little publicly about another of the government's likely reasons for legalizing pot possession--the money the government will collect in taxes when pot is presumably able to be sold in stores with other 'reputable' products.
Retroactive Erasure of Charges
Thus far, Trudeau has said little publicly about another of the government's likely reasons for legalizing pot possession--the money the government will collect in taxes when pot is presumably able to be sold in stores with other 'reputable' products.
Retroactive Erasure of Charges
At the 'town hall' meeting attended by Trudeau, Malik Scott asked what happens to
people like him who currently face criminal charges for possession, after
possession of recreational marijuana becomes legal.
Trudeau implied the current law for
possession is clear, and said the law has to be changed first before anything
else, such as retroactive elimination of current possession charges, is
considered.
In
effect, Trudeau could be suggesting people consider the old adage, ‘if you
can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.’
In
other words, possession of marijuana is still a criminal offence in Canada,
until the laws are changed.
