Own your ow legal marijuana business | Your guide to making money in the multi-billion dollar marijuana industry |
Major Studies of Drugs and Drug Policy | ||||
Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs | ||||
Volume 2 - Policies and Practices In Canada |
|
Chapter 12 - The National Legislative ContextAfter
Le Dain: forging
ahead regardless
Throughout the 1970s, a number of
federal politicians promised major reforms to lessen, even eliminate, the
criminal penalties imposed on cannabis users. In 1972, the Liberal Party of
Canada stated in its election platform that it intended to amend Canada's
policy on marijuana,[1][116] which likely gave birth to Bill S‑19.
In 1978, Joe Clark, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, declared
that a government formed by his political party would decriminalize possession
of that drug.[2][117] However, promises of reform ceased in
the early 1980s. In the mid-1980s, Canadians
witnessed a significant change in the federal government's position on drugs.
This new situation was perhaps not unrelated to the U.S. policy of "war on
drugs" adopted in the early 1980s by President Ronald Reagan. The
United States once again became very active within international drug control
agencies to encourage the international community to take energetic measures to
put an end to drug trafficking, which "threatened American youth". In 1987, Canada became actively
involved in the work of the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking.[3][118] Two important events occurred at that
meeting organized under the aegis of the United Nations. First, delegates
passed a full multidisciplinary plan for future activities to combat drug abuse
encouraging the states to comply with their obligations under existing
treaties. That initiative targeted four important areas: prevention and
reduction of demand for illicit drugs, control of supply, suppression of
illicit trafficking and treatment and rehabilitation. For the first time,
international legal instruments made express provision for the reduction of
supply. Second, delegates put the final touches on the treaty to suppress drug
trafficking on a global scale. That treaty was passed in Vienna on
December 20, 1988 as the Convention
on Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
(Convention of 1988). In
addition to taking part in the work leading to the adoption of that convention,
starting in the mid‑1980s, Canada stepped up its international efforts
with regard to drugs. In June 1987, it ratified the Convention on Psychotropic
Substances of 1971[4][119] and promised to increase its financial
participation in the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control to
$1 million by 1991. The Canadian government justified its participation in
the international drug effort as follows: “The Government is acting to stem the flow of drugs
in and out of Canada, not only because Canadians are among the victims of drug
abuse, but also because we have a role to play as responsible citizens of the
world.” [5][120] Canada was influenced by this
international effort when, on September 13, 1988, before it had even
signed or ratified the Convention of 1988 – which was not done until 1990 –
Parliament passed Bill C‑61, designed to combat laundering of the
proceeds of crime (money laundering, enterprise crime, etc.). The Bill was
aimed at organized crime and the financing of its operations through drug
trafficking. The Criminal Code and
the Narcotic Control Act were thus
amended to create two new offences: laundering of proceeds of crime and
possession of property obtained through drug trafficking. These new provisions
also applied to the illegal activities of drug cultivation, trafficking and
importing and exporting in or outside Canada if they were committed by Canadian
citizens. Parliament did not need to legislate to criminalize the other
activities prohibited by the Convention of 1988 since, as noted above, many had
already been covered since 1961. [1][116] Spicer, L. (2002) Historical and Cultural Uses of Cannabis and
the Canadian "Marijuana Clash". Ottawa: Parliamentary Research
Branch, Library of Parliament. [2][117] Giffen, P.J. et al., (1991) Panic and
Indifference: The Politics of Canada’s Drugs Laws. Ottawa: Canadian Centre
on Substance Abuse, page 571. [3][118] Briefing notes, Research Office of
the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, June 1, 1987. [4][119] International Narcotics Control
Board, Report of the International
Narcotics Control Board for 1987, Vienna, United Nations Organization,
1988, p. 21. |