PT6A posted:

There's lots of people who don't use weed but think it should be legal (me included), but it seems like the actual public voices associated with the legalization movement don't come from that group. That's my point: why don't pro-marijuana people who don't use marijuana get hired by pro-marijuana groups to lend the movement a more respectable, less self-interested face?

PT6A posted:

There's lots of people who don't use weed but think it should be legal (me included), but it seems like the actual public voices associated with the legalization movement don't come from that group. That's my point: why don't pro-marijuana people who don't use marijuana get hired by pro-marijuana groups to lend the movement a more respectable, less self-interested face?

Furnaceface posted:

Well those 2 posts sure made me feel old in a hurry.


Ive often wondered about this myself. I think part of it is having experts that smoke it probably seem more credible and convincing to others?

Eej posted:

Is making fun of vapes the new making fun of bike helmets

Tochiazuma posted:

I support legalizing weed but also wish there was some way to make stoners shut the gently caress up about how much they love smoking weed and its health benefits and did you know this and that about weed and weed and oh by the way weed

IANAL but it would be great to pass a law that says 'smoke weed if you want to but shut the gently caress up about it'

PT6A posted:

To be fair, that's essentially the status quo if you're white. We just need that to extend to everyone else.

Stretch Marx posted:

Pretty funny watching a bunch of people whom have stated they haven't used pot complain that it's hard to find pot advocates who don't smoke while at the same deride all aspects of its culture (almost always anecdotal instances they personally could have avoided) and subsequently state that they, themselves, won't advocate because of said social stigmas/don't actually care. And then get surprised when it's hard for people who do use to find these special fairy people to speak out for them. I wonder why... And all this while this forum has multiple instances of people going on and on about their favorite booze like people give a poo poo. Weird that you can't find advocates of alcohol either who don't drink.

The last few pages have been pretty eye rolling. As as long as stigmas exist over use of pot this poo poo will never get settled in legislature. It'll ping pong forever until the courts do something about it.

Oh and as for nicotine, if you seriously think cigarettes are better than vaping then that's hosed up. I don't smoke but vaping is infinitely less nauseating to be around and if the person is already hooked on nicotine then juice is healthier than raw leaf. Leave them be to their candy flavoured hook.

A whole bunch of crotchety future PC voters in this thread. drat KIDS

Arivia posted:

Seriously vaping is disgusting and gross and so are a lot of potheads. Watching people's lives turn into getting high is never fun.

Furnaceface posted:

Cant wait to buy some Loblaws PC Brand Weed I see.

Arivia posted:

Seriously vaping is disgusting and gross and so are a lot of potheads. Watching people's lives turn into getting high is never fun.

Furnaceface posted:

Ive often wondered about this myself. I think part of it is having experts that smoke it probably seem more credible and convincing to others?

Stretch Marx posted:

Pretty funny watching a bunch of people whom have stated they haven't used pot complain that it's hard to find pot advocates who don't smoke while at the same deride all aspects of its culture (almost always anecdotal instances they personally could have avoided) and subsequently state that they, themselves, won't advocate because of said social stigmas/don't actually care. And then get surprised when it's hard for people who do use to find these special fairy people to speak out for them. I wonder why... And all this while this forum has multiple instances of people going on and on about their favorite booze like people give a poo poo. Weird that you can't find advocates of alcohol either who don't drink.

The last few pages have been pretty eye rolling. As as long as stigmas exist over use of pot this poo poo will never get settled in legislature. It'll ping pong forever until the courts do something about it.

Oh and as for nicotine, if you seriously think cigarettes are better than vaping then that's hosed up. I don't smoke but vaping is infinitely less nauseating to be around and if the person is already hooked on nicotine then juice is healthier than raw leaf. Leave them be to their candy flavoured hook.

A whole bunch of crotchety future PC voters in this thread. drat KIDS

EvilJoven posted:

lmao legal weed is never going to happen people, the orange ogre is about to double down on keeping it illegal because reasons.

Those reasons being keeping the law enforcement and corrections industry fat while having a convenient excuse to gently caress with poors and minorities.

flakeloaf posted:

The state of Washington alone is making four million dollars a DAY on weed sales.

Postess with the Mostest posted:

You sure about that?

quote:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/white-house-expects-justice-crackdown-on-legalized-marijuana-1.3298840

In Washington state, sales at licensed pot shops now average nearly $4.4 million per day -- with little evidence of any negative societal effects. That's close to $1 billion in sales so far for the fiscal year that began last July, some $184 million of which is state tax revenue

flakeloaf posted:

Memories of Marrakesh. Goes great with PC Memories of... ummmm.... I forgot, it's one of these sauces anyway it's pretty great man

smoke sumthin bitch posted:

its like a revenge from the opium wars.

quote:

The average weekly paycheque for non-farm workers was $961 in December, Statistics Canada says, a figure that has grown by 1.2 per cent last year but belies wide differences between types of workers.

Workers in information and cultural industries saw their pay packets increase the most, on average, up by more than 10 per cent last year to $1,350.48 a week.

Those in finance and insurance also did well, with their average weekly paycheque up 10 per cent last year to $1,342.15.

Neither sector, however, lays claim to the highest-paid workers, on average. That belongs to those in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, who saw their weekly paycheques increase 5.1 per cent last year to $2,096.62.

At the other end of the spectrum were the almost two million Canadians who work in retail, and the more than 1.2 million Canadians who work in accommodation and food services. Those two sectors are already the two lowest paid, on average, in the country. And both saw their average weekly earnings decrease further last year.

The typical retail worker earned $566.17 a week in December. That's declined by 2.1 per cent in the past 12 months. And those in accommodation and food service fared even worse, earning $373.12 a week in December, down 1.9 per cent.

Both sectors are adding jobs — up 15,000 and 30,000 respectively — but shrinking wages for the people who get those jobs are a troubling sign. More people work in retail than in any other sector. Accommodation and food, meanwhile, is the fifth most common job category in Canada.

Other data from the statistics agency suggests Canada's work force is shifting toward more part-time work and self-employment, two trends that aren't leading to prosperity for workers who were having a tough enough go as it is.

Nor are wage gains coming evenly across the country. While all but two provinces saw average weekly paycheques increase last year, they declined by 0.2 per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador, and by 1.5 per cent in Alberta.

flakeloaf posted:

No I'm not, reading and dividing by two is hard.

quote:

“We believe that a properly regulated, controlled system will achieve both of those measures. But we haven’t brought in that properly regulated, controlled system because it’s important that we do it right in order to achieve those two specific goals.”

Until the new law is enacted some time in 2017, Trudeau stressed “the current prohibition stands.”

“So, I don’t know how much clearer we can be that we’re not legalizing marijuana to please recreational users,” he said.

quote:

There’s two distinct issues here: medical marijuana and recreational marijuana. I think medical marijuana, I’ve said before, that the president understands the pain and suffering that many people go through, who are facing especially terminal diseases, and the comfort that some of these drugs, including medical marijuana, can bring to them. And that’s one that Congress, through a rider in [2014], put an appropriations bill saying that the Department of Justice wouldn’t be funded to go after those folks.

There’s a big difference between that and recreational marijuana. And I think that when you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country, the last thing we should be doing is encouraging people. There’s still a federal law that we need to abide by when it comes to recreational marijuana and other drugs of that nature.

quote:

And I think that when you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country, the last thing we should be doing is encouraging people.

Postess with the Mostest posted:

Yeah, you seemed a little high.

flakeloaf posted:

quote:

Province to shut down Ontario Tire Stewardship by 2018

Ontario’s environment minister is closing the province’s troubled tire recycling agency after Star stories exposed suspicious money transfers, allegations of fraud and wasteful executive spending.

Glen Murray, minister of the environment and climate change, said the Ontario Tire Stewardship, the smallest and least complex of Ontario’s three government-created recycling programs, will be the first eliminated under new legislation designed to improve the recycling process in Ontario.

Murray said the Star’s investigations proved the “accountability, the transparency, the protection of the public interest wasn’t sufficiently strong” at the tire stewardship.

“The system was very vulnerable to the kinds of things that the Toronto Star exposed. When I read it, it confirmed my concern that in fact the system had too many loopholes in it.”

The Star stories showed the stewardship spent thousands of dollars on luxury trips, fine wine and donations to the Ontario Liberals. Stories also exposed allegations of executive fraud and questionable bank transfers pinpointed by the federal intelligence organization that investigates money laundering and terrorism.

Article Continued Below
The money in question comes from “eco-fees” paid by Ontario drivers every time new tires are purchased. Every year, roughly $70 million in fees from consumers is collected by tire retailers for the stewardship.

In a letter sent to the stewardship on Feb. 17, Murray gave executive director Andrew Horsman a deadline of Oct. 31 to submit a wind-up plan for the province’s waste oversight authority. That plan, Murray noted in a written statement to the Star confirming the letter, “requires the cessation of operations by Dec. 31, 2018.”

Murray’s statement said the stewardship must be “transparent and clear” with the public. It must “avoid disruption” of its tire recycling program until the end date and “not adversely affect Ontario’s tire marketplace.”

Another key point, according to the Ontario Waste Management Association, is the disbursement of the stewardship’s surplus. Last year, the surplus hit $49.5 million — ultimately from consumer eco-fees — and the association questioned where that money would go when the program eventually ended.

Murray’s letter said assets must be managed in a “fair, open and transparent process.”

Horsman, of the tire stewardship, said his office is “evaluating the direction provided” and referred additional questions to the minister or the oversight authority.

The Waste-Free Ontario Act, which came into force in November, will eventually dissolve all three government-created recycling programs for tires, old electronics and hazardous household waste.

The tire stewardship is currently the only program that has been given a timeline to end its operations. It is headquartered in Etobicoke, where stewardship staff control the collection and movement of used tires. The goal of the new law is to force producers and retailers to take individual responsibility for their products by creating innovative recycling programs.

Before the new legislation took effect, the Star exposed a series of problems with lax spending controls at the tire stewardship.

Murray said the issues raised “certainly put a red flag in the middle of this. I think the industry wants to put this behind it and get a clean start.”

In January 2016, a story revealed credit card statements and invoices that showed tire executives spent consumer-paid eco-fees on expensive trips and dinners with copious drinks, along with donations to the Liberals and NDP.

One invoice showed the stewardship paid $3,200 to send four executives to the Liberal’s 2015 Summer Golf Classic “with special guests Hon. Kathleen Wynne & Members of the Ontario Liberal Caucus.”

Last year, stewardship chair Glenn Maidment said they were “absolutely” justified in paying to see Wynne on the golf course and share concerns about plans for the $49.5-million surplus. Maidment called the additional donations to the Liberals and NDP “modest contributions as a way of supporting the democratic process.”

The stewardship later filed a lawsuit against its former chief financial officer, Perminder Kandola, alleging that he transferred $346,565 from a tire collector to a personal account named “Ontario Tire.”

A few months later, a second former executive, a chartered professional accountant, contacted the stewardship with an offer to return additional money — with a request to remain anonymous. The stewardship’s decision to remove all other accountants from related meetings (to avoid professional reporting rules) sparked an outcry by the oversight body.

Despite two identified cases of missing money, the stewardship balked at the waste authority’s call for a full forensic investigation.

Instead, an accounting firm hired to examine spending produced a report called a “Partial Evaluation of Controls,” saying the stewardship didn’t give time or access to investigate fraud allegations. The report concluded that the multimillion-dollar recycling program was rife with problems that invited “manipulation” of large sums of money.

Last fall, after the waste oversight authority threatened to go to court in order to force a forensic audit, the stewardship agreed and hired Ernst and Young to do the job. The Waste-Free Ontario Act created a new oversight body, called the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority, with greater enforcement powers.

In November, the ministry filed provincial charges against Kandola, the former CFO, for “failing to pay into” the stewardship fund. A second provincial charge was filed against Kandola and former director of audit Frank Fragale, both related to $220,149 that went missing. Sources say all of the money has been returned.

The most recent Star investigation detailed a report by the federal intelligence agency that scrutinizes money laundering and terrorism, which uncovered millions of dollars in suspicious bank transfers from the tire stewardship to an auto recycling firm.

The report by the federal Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre said bank records showed that “74 direct deposits” totalling $2.6 million were sent from the stewardship to a small eastern Ontario auto recycling company. The stewardship has previously said it has no record of that amount.

It’s unclear when the current forensic audit will be completed. Its findings will be reported to the new waste authority.

flakeloaf posted:

Wait, so you're saying that the Ontario libs have.... libbed?

quote:

http://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/suspended-admiral-hires-marie-henein/

Vice-Admiral Mark Norman was suspended as vice-chief of defence staff last month

TORONTO – A high-profile Toronto lawyer hired to represent a suspended Canadian admiral is suggesting he’s the victim of “bureaucratic crossfire.”

Vice-Admiral Mark Norman has brought in Marie Henein, who gained widespread media attention for successfully defending former CBC personality Jian Ghomeshi on sexual assault charges.

The Canadian military announced last month that Norman was being suspended from his job as vice-chief of defence staff, but has been tight-lipped as to why.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says the suspension was not over national security concerns, but it was a decision that had to be made.

Henein issued a statement Thursday that said Norman denies any wrongdoing and “looks forward to being cleared.”

Her statement also stressed Norman’s public service record that spans more than three decades and said he has always served Canada “honourably.”

“It would be a profound disservice to us all if a national hero and widely respected Canadian who has served under numerous governments was caught in the bureaucratic crossfire,” said the statement.

“It is our sincerest hope that an objective investigation is concluded quickly and that Vice-Admiral Norman returns to his post serving all Canadians.”

The job of vice-chief of defence staff is the second-highest ranking job in the military and the opposition Conservatives said at the time that Canadians have the right to know the whole story behind Norman’s suspension.

Henein has been counsel on numerous high profile and controversial cases.

She found herself immersed in controversy after Ghomeshi was acquitted of charges of sexual assault and choking. Some people criticized her aggressive cross-examination of the complainants in the case.

However, she also had many defenders including the then-editor of Canadian Lawyer magazine who said her critics lacked an understanding of the Canadian justice system and the role of defence lawyers.

Risky Bisquick posted:

Also #henienwatch.

infernal machines posted:

It must be odd to have a name so well regarded that the moment it's reported you're representing a client, it's just assumed they're accused guilty but will be acquitted of some incredibly heinous poo poo.

quote:

a national hero and widely respected Canadian

Risky Bisquick posted:

This entire story is vincemcmahon.gif