Looser Marijuana Laws Supported by Majority of Canadians
A poll commissioned by the Department of Justice has recently found that 70% of Canadians support the loosening of marijuana laws, with 37.3% calling for legalization and 33.4% supporting decriminalization. With the leader of the Liberal party, Justin Trudeau, openly voicing his pro-legalization stance, and several U.S. states now beginning the process of regulating and taxing Cannabis, it’s beginning to feel like everyone is pro-pot; Everyone except the Canadian Government that is.
As I discussed in my last post, despite warnings from senior law enforcement officials in the United States about the “costly failure” of the U.S. war on drugs, the Canadian government is hard at work creating policies that will provide minimum sentences for minor crimes, including the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Currently, the possession of marijuana is a criminal offence that could result in a fine of $1000 or 6 months jail time, even for a first offence.
It’s clear to me that when it comes to pot, Canadians are caught in a dangerous dichotomy. Public opinion and policy sit at opposite ends of this argument, placing a significant number of citizens at risk for incarceration for a crime they do not believe to be morally wrong. And with the next Federal Election still more than a year away, we’ve got a long way to go before any of this even has a chance to change.
As a Criminal Defence Lawyer in Toronto, I see a lot of marijuana related cases come through my door. And though every case is extremely different, there are a number of common themes shared between pot cases; one of the biggest being the frequent infringement on my clients’ Charter rights during the arrest process. The good news is that as a lawyer, I have the responsibility to request that drug evidence seized in contradiction to a client’s Charter rights be thrown out from the case. And without drug evidence, it’s hard to charge a citizen with a possession-related crime.
Charter right infringements can make the court process difficult and complicated. But dealing with your Criminal Defence Lawyer shouldn’t be. My years of experience working as a lawyer in Toronto have taught me that there’s no such thing as a “minor” case. To the defendant, even “small charges” for marijuana possession are troubling. They hold the potential of receiving a life-changing criminal record - something with wide - reaching implications for personal relationships, work, and travel. And as a criminal lawyer, securing positive outcomes for my clients in possession cases is extremely rewarding for this very reason.
If you’re being charged with a drug-related offence, call the office today to schedule an initial consultation. Working with a criminal lawyer with a track record for success will give you peace of mind, knowing that your trial will be fair and justice will be served.
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Are you pro-legalization? Or do you think it would be better to simply decriminalize?