Canadian Crossing

What marijuana tourism in Ontario will look like on Opening Day

"Ontario won't open private stores until at least April 1, 2019" — me, November 13, 2018

Canadian provinces have run into a few problems with having enough product in its stores since marijuana was legalised in Canada on October 17, 2018. Those provinces didn't have trouble getting the stores up and running.

Ontario had the "ambitious" goal of 25 stores in the largest province in Canada, 5 of those locations in Toronto, the largest city in the province and country. Even then, not all of those 25 stores will open on time thanks to the intensely rigorous process established by the Doug Ford Government.

The Liberals under Kathleen Wynne wanted a similar system to LCBO and the Beer Store where the Ford Government preferred private locations.

The bad timing is also bad financial news for the store owners. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) requires a $6,000 non-refundable fee and a $50,000 letter of credit. The organisation has the power to draw down $12,500 for each week the stores are not open.

If you are looking for a sweet spot for legal marijuana in Toronto, look no further than Queen Street West. The Hunny Pot at 202 Queen Street West (open Monday) and Nova Cannabis on 499 Queen Street West would be a good place to start.

Another good collective spot will be Tokyo Smoke (333 Yonge Street) and Canna Cabana at 435(B) Yonge Street. Canna Cabana has a few locations in Alberta as well as proposed locations in Hamilton and Sudbury. The Tokyo Smoke location is the old HMV record and video store.

The final Toronto location is Ameri at 20 Cumberland Street west, just north of the Yonge-Bloor intersection. Ameri will be ready to go on April 1.

If you haven’t been to Toronto, getting to those locations is pretty easy. Yonge Street marks the east-west point.

You can take the Queen streetcar west from either the Queen Street stop (at Yonge/0 Queen West) or Osgoode stop (130 Queen West). 499 Queen Street West is just west of Spadina near Chinatown.

333 Yonge Street is just north of Dundas Square near the Dundas stop on the Yonge Street line. 20 Cumberland Street West is a very short walk north and slightly west from the Bloor-Yonge stop.

Being in Canada where cannabis is legal but nowhere to be found

Opening Day for legal recreational marijuana in Canada

Here is the breakdown of the 25 locations in the province:

• 5 locations: Toronto (2 ready to open April 1)
• 3 locations: Ottawa (ready to open April 1); London (1 ready to open April 1)
• 2 locations: Kingston (ready to open April 1); Hamilton; Sudbury
• 1 location: St. Catharines (ready to open April 1); Brampton (ready to open April 1); Burlington (ready to open April 1); Oshawa; Ajax; Niagara Falls

You can check the status of the locations. At press time, 11 of the 25 locations will be ready to go on April 1.

Ottawa, the national capital, will be able to help those federal legislators and bureaucrats. There is a location in the Byward Market and a location south of downtown on Bank Street, about 2 km north of TD Place, home of the CFL Ottawa RedBlacks.

London is the furthest west in the province with a store, so people in Windsor will have about a 2-hour drive. The locations hug Lake Ontario with the exception of Ottawa, Sudbury, and London.

The Public Notice period has ended for all prospective provincial locations with the exception of the Yonge Street locations in Toronto: Tokyo Smoke (April 2) and Canna Cabana Toronto (April 9).

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There are shops that are technically illegal that are still in operation, mostly in Toronto.

Those in Ontario can order marijuana off the official province Web site. The online option lends itself to credit cards, a risk for Canadians wanting to cross the border. Having an online option limits marijuana tourism.

If you are traveling by car to participate in marijuana tourism, know that the provinces have set up nuanced rules on how marijuana can be transported by car. The Toronto locations don't require a car.

There still aren't any edibles, so you also have to find a place to consume the product.

photo credit: me

Being in Canada where cannabis is legal but nowhere to be found

There was very little proof after spending a week in Windsor that legal recreational marijuana exists in Canada.

The sign above reminds us that you can't take marijuana across the border, but easier to do if there is marijuana in Canada.

For now, the only legal options in Ontario are growing 4 or fewer plants in your own home or online via the Ontario Cannabis Store if the store is working as intended.

A group set up a symbolic injection site tent in an abandoned section on Ouellette Avenue, the main north-south street in downtown Windsor. That was as close as I got to drugs on the trip.

How the 2018 U.S. midterm elections might affect Canada

Marijuana tourism won't be going in the other direction in the short term, even though Michigan voters approved legal recreational marijuana on Election Day last week. As slow as Ontario has gone in the process, far behind all of Canada, except for Nunavat, Michigan marijuana will be slower in coming. This will keep the Windsor area a step ahead.

The bus shelter public service announcement (below) reminds us that the age for marijuana is 19, same as alcohol in Ontario. The age gap with Michigan (21+ for alcohol and marijuana) will prove advantageous.

While Michigan said yes to legal recreational marijuana, North Dakota said no but still has medical marijuana. Michigan joins other border states such as Alaska (Yukon); Maine (New Brunswick, Quebec); Vermont (Quebec); and Washington (British Columbia).

Opening Day for legal recreational marijuana in Canada

NAFTA 2.0, er, USMCA is a nightmarish trade deal for Canada

Ontario won't open private stores until at least April 1, 2019 and edibles won't be a factor until at least late 2019. The comparison might be that gambling started in Canada with casinos and then Detroit caught up eventually. Getting that head start is crucial.

The steel and aluminum tariffs that still exist, despite a USMCA/new NAFTA, are hurting the region financially. Adding marijuana to auto parts would be a huge financial boost to southwestern Ontario.

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Most of Canada is open to legal recreational marijuana so marijuana tourism does exist elsewhere. Anecdotal evidence: Neither border crossing brought up marijuana. Your experience will vary.

photos credit: me

How the 2018 U.S. midterm elections might affect Canada

Welcome to Election Day in the United States. Election Day south of the 49th parallel is on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

In the midterm elections, all 435 House of Representative seats and approximately 33 seats of the Senate are open. Unfortunately, House districts are severely gerrymandered seats where the boundaries are drawn to help retain incumbents, mostly Republicans. Iowa is a grand exception to gerrymandering. Unlike the 2016 election, more Democratic Senate seats are up for grabs. Heidi Heitkamp (North Dakota), Joe Donnelly (Indiana), and Joe Manchin (West Virginia) are vulnerable incumbent Democratic senators.

The main prize for Canadians with either a Democratic win in the House or Senate is reconsideration for the USMCA aka NAFTA 1.5. A Dem-controlled House or Senate could also tackle the unfortunate tariffs against Canada from softwood lumber and airplanes to steel and aluminum.

Opening Day for legal recreational marijuana in Canada

NAFTA 2.0, er, USMCA is a nightmarish trade deal for Canada

Good luck to Michigan and North Dakota on approving recreational marijuana ballot initiatives in today's election. If those states approve recreational marijuana, they would join other border states such as Alaska (Yukon); Maine (New Brunswick, Quebec); Vermont (Quebec); and Washington (British Columbia).

Even if a border state has legalized recreational marijuana, you are not allowed to bring marijuana across the federal border between Canada and the United States.

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If you are an American citizen, go out and vote today. If you live in a state where your right to vote has been illegally taken away from you, fight for your right to vote. Canada is rooting for a strong turnout to make a difference south of the 49th parallel.

photo credit: YouTube @When We All Vote

Opening Day for legal recreational marijuana in Canada

Canadians can now add marijuana to their legal shopping lists as of today. October 17 marks the opening day of being able to legally buy marijuana in Canada.

Recent news stories indicate that supplies may not keep up with demand in the first year, and that is without edibles being legal. You might have heard about the possibility of drinkables but those won't be allowed right away either.

Canadians will be allowed to carry up to 30 grams on domestic flights only, as noted in the video (above). On rare occasions, Canadian domestic flights are diverted to the United States.

Bloomberg ran an update last month on where you can purchase recreational marijuana in provinces and territories. CBC News has a guide to how you can access marijuana in the provinces and territories.

As a reminder, people in Canada can possess up to 30 grams. An ounce is 28 grams. The video (above) gives you an idea of what 30 grams looks like. The minimum age is 19 except for Quebec and Alberta, where the age is 18.

October 17 also marks the start of monitoring border crossings. Seeds were planted in Politico about banning Canadians who work in the marijuana industry and/or people who invest in pot companies.

If you are a Canadian with a credit card and that data is stored in the United States, the border patrol could monitor credit card history to see whether you have bought marijuana.

Some of this samples could be real or paranoia; some new ones can easily come along. The rules won't be clear until you find yourself crossing into the United States and they may be randomly observed.

You can get waivers for a lifetime ban but they are costly in terms of money and time and involve a lot of hassle. We wish our Canadian friends a lot of luck in border crossings over the next few weeks.

Marijuana tourists to Ontario will have to wait awhile

Our guide to legal marijuana in Canada

One adjustment for our friends in Ontario: You will be able to smoke pot in areas where tobacco smoking is allowed. Premier Doug Ford contradicted his own policy by saying you couldn't smoke in playgrounds because of children but could smoke in parks, even though children might be in parks. You still won't be able to buy marijuana in a store until at least April 2019. If you are an American pursuing marijuana tourism, you have better options than Ontario.

One adjustment for our friends in Quebec: Premier-designate François Legault campaigned on a promise to increase the legal age for marijuana to 21 if the CAQ came to power. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is concerned about the potential increase in the minimum age leading to an increase in the black market. Those in Quebec between 18-20 and visitors to La Belle Province will likely have a limited window to indulge legally.

Canada passes marijuana legalization legislation

4 of the 9 states with legal recreational marijuana border Canada: Alaska (Yukon); Maine (New Brunswick, Quebec); Vermont (Quebec); and Washington (British Columbia). We will know on November 6 as to whether Michigan (Ontario) and North Dakota (Manitoba) will be on that list.

The states will vote on Election Day whether to have legal recreational marijuana.

Legal recreational marijuana in Canada is an experiment in progress. Respect the process as this unfolds. As Sergeant Phil Esterhaus (Michael Conrad) would say on Hill Street Blues, "let's be careful out there."

video credit: CBC News
photo credit: me

Marijuana tourists to Ontario will have to wait awhile

Looking for a silver lining in a potential Doug Ford win in Ontario, I wondered if marijuana tourism in Ontario would be easier under a PC government. After all, the Liberals plan was so harsh that only 40 Ontario Cannabis Store locations would be open by the end of 2018. The long-term goal was 150 locations in a province that stretches from Minnesota to New York state on a U.S. map.

The good news, relatively speaking, is that the Ford Government will have private retail outlets as well as online purchasing. The bad news, especially for tourists, is that those private retail stores won't open until April 1, 2019.

Marijuana tourists traveling to Ontario before April 1 have virtually 0 options. You can't order marijuana online since you don't live in Canada. You can't buy it legally. If you know someone who lives in the province, you could have them buy for you, provided all parties involved are 19 or older. You also need to be in a situation where you can partake, which is most likely a house where smoking is allowed.

Ontario's restrictions still hamper tourists since you can't consume marijuana in public. October 17 will be significant for those who live in Ontario, not so much if you don't.

Our guide to legal marijuana in Canada

Doug Ford will be the new premier of Ontario

Canada does have 9 other provinces, each with their own rules. Marijuana tourists have better options in other provinces. The significance of Ontario's stance also stems from the high percentage of tourists, particularly American, who flock to Ontario.

Canadian tourism isn't as high in the winter months because of snow, ice, and snow. So a wait until spring might not be that big of a deal. We don't know any details for the Ford Government Ontario plan other than the April 1 deadline. Having more than 40 private outlets would be a slight improvement over the Liberals plan. The highly restrictive nature of the provincial plan does increase the chances of a black market. That takes out the fun of legally buying and using marijuana.

This is the point where we need to note that a Globe and Mail investigation said that Doug Ford was a drug dealer, specifically hashish in the 1980s.

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There are plenty of reasons to visit Canada that have nothing to do with marijuana, sometimes even in the winter months: Skating on Rideau Canal in Ottawa, going cross-country skiing in New Brunswick, Carnivale in Quebec City, and skiing in Banff and Whistler.

photo credit: me

Our guide to legal marijuana in Canada

Royal assent for legal marijuana in Canada has arrived. Circle October 17 on your calendars for the start of legal recreational marijuana. All of that is wonderful news, but what does that mean for Canadians and tourists once every day in Canada will be 420 Day.

Age

Every province and territory — except Manitoba — will have the same age for legal consumption of alcohol as for marijuana. Quebec and Alberta have 18 as the minimum age while the other provinces and territories have 19 as the minimum age. Manitoba has a 18-year-old drinking age but the age will be 19 for marijuana. This is a distinction for those 19- and 20-year-olds in Washington state who may be legal in British Columbia but not yet in Washington state.

The Trudeau Government emphasized the consequences of passing along marijuana to those under the legal age. The government is very serious about those penalties.

Amendments

The amendment that had the most publicity is that home cultivation of marijuana plants is limited to 4 plants. Quebec, Manitoba, and Nunavut want to forbid home cultivation. If Quebec is allowed to pass this exception, the prime minister would not be allowed to grow plants in his Montréal home (Trudeau’s riding is Papineau in Montréal), but Trudeau could grow them in his Ottawa home.

Other Senate amendments that didn’t make it through included a public registry of investors in cannabis companies as well as a ban of branded swag by pot companies.

Customs and border crossings

Crossing into Canada for the purpose of consuming marijuana may run you into trouble with Canadian authorities. Come to Canada for a variety of reasons: maple syrup, Tim Hortons, Go Leafs Go, etc. Have an expressed purpose for visiting Canada. Tell them you read CanadianCrossing.com and wanted to see how awesome Canada can be.

Canadians crossing into the United States and Americans crossing back from Canada have other issues. There is a strong likelihood that U.S. customs officers will be extra diligent especially in the beginning of legalization. Be smart when dealing with officers. Again, bring up the wonderful times you had on your visit to Canada.

Canadians entering the United States may experience extra scrutiny at border crossings. Yes, even more than usual, especially in the beginning of legalization.

Canada passes marijuana legalization legislation

Canadian Senate passes marijuana bill, but those pesky amendments

How much closer is Canada to getting legal marijuana?

Canada goal: Legal marijuana by Canada Day 2018

What a Justin Trudeau government might mean to the United States

Canadians need to be smart if coming to Washington state for pot

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Medical marijuana

We haven’t heard much about those on medical marijuana and the impact of legalization on them. Ontario is talking about 40 outlets province-wide to sell legal marijuana. There might be at least 40 outlets in Toronto alone to get medical marijuana.

Cost and access are considerable factors for some medical marijuana patients. The U.S. states that went through this have had their own transitions. Things may go smoothly enough for most medical marijuana patients but they might have some extra anxiety, which might require more medical marijuana.

Price

We've been hearing that marijuana will be priced at about $10 per gram, except in the Yukon where that might fall to $8. The federal marijuana tax is $1/gram, or 10% of sales of more than $10. The federal government gets 25% while provinces and municipalities get the rest. This does not factor in HST. 

Tourists

Do your homework on specific provinces as to their rules. The legislation is geared ideally toward home owners. Renters may not be able to light up in their apartments. Public consumption, especially through smoking, will also be an issue.

If you are coming to Canada and expecting edibles, you will have to wait a year after legalization. Bill C-45 built the 1-year ban on edibles to ensure the marketplace is ready and that edibles don’t fall into the hands of children.

The limit to carrying around marijuana is 30 grams. An ounce is 28 grams. Learn how much that means in terms of marijuana so that you can stay on the proper side of the law.

Governor General Julie Payette gives royal assent to several bills, including Bill C-45.

History

Canada did have Bill C-10 to deal with marijuana in 2004. That bill would have removed the threat of jail for those possessing fewer than 15 grams, but still would have a $100-$500 fine.

The Paul Martin Government let the bill die before the election campaign that eventually elected Stephen Harper. The Conservatives have been against legalizing marijuana and never brought up their own bill.

Be a smart consumer

The social experiment that is legalized marijuana in Canada will be under a world microscope. Chances are you didn't know that Uruguay was the other country to legalize recreational marijuana.

The ideal is that marijuana becomes more practical for those who need it and those who want it, while limiting the evils to the society at large. Marijuana use in reasonably limited forms will work out well for the majority of the population.

Some people can not handle marijuana at any age. As a society, Canada needs to help those who will have trouble ingesting marijuana. Indigenous populations are concerned about the current state of addiction among their people and worry that marijuana can make bad situations even worse.

All the rallies have delivered the result you want: legal recreational marijuana from sea to sea to sea.

With that power comes responsibility. We are not trying to harsh your buzz. All we are saying is be a smart, responsible marijuana consumer, if you choose to go that route. As for marijuana tourists, follow the laws of the province/territory and federal laws. Come to Canada to enjoy Canada.

The better that Canada takes to this new power will speak volumes for how cool Canada is and set an example for the world as other countries look into either decriminalization or legalization.

photo credit: @Cannabis Culture
video credit: Global News

Canada passes marijuana legalization legislation

The Canadian Senate passed Bill C-45 by a 52-29 vote with 2 abstentions. The bill still needs royal assent, which should happen before Canada Day.

The official start date still hasn't been determined: the starting date is scheduled 8-12 weeks after royal assent.

It’s been too easy for our kids to get marijuana - and for criminals to reap the profits. Today, we change that. Our plan to legalize & regulate marijuana just passed the Senate. #PromiseKept

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 20, 2018

Like the Trudeau Government, we need a bit of time to sort out issues, some of which have had a lot of press and some where few have spoken about the impact.

Uruguay is the only other country to legalize recreational marijuana in December 2013. Canada made cannabis possession a crime in Canada in 1923.

In the interim, you should definitely read the takes from the BBC, Vice.com, and the CBC. The Vice article breaks down what is happening in the provinces.

Canadian Senate passes marijuana bill, but those pesky amendments

How much closer is Canada to getting legal marijuana?

Canada goal: Legal marijuana by Canada Day 2018

What a Justin Trudeau government might mean to the United States

Canadians need to be smart if coming to Washington state for pot

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We will have a more thorough analysis on what is to come for Canada and marijuana on Friday.

photo credit: me
Twitter capture: @justintrudeau 

Canadian Senate passes marijuana bill, but those pesky amendments

Canada is a significant step closer to marijuana legalization as the Canadian Senate passed Bill C-45 by a 56-30-1 decision. The Canadian Senate waited until the last possible day to pass the bill, having sat on the bill for months.

The sticking point is the 46 amendments the Senate attached to the bill. The House of Commons has to decide which amendments to keep. Even if the House changes one amendment, the bill will have to go back to the unelected Canadian Senate.

The original bill allows for home cultivation up to 4 marijuana plants. The Senate amendment allows provinces to prohibit home cultivation; Quebec and Manitoba are on board with banning home cultivation of cannabis plants.

How much closer is Canada to getting legal marijuana?

There are 105 senators so there were a few who didn’t vote. Senator Linda Frum and Senator Nicole Eaton, both Conservative senators, were scheduled to abstain from the vote because they stand to profit from legalization. Our American readers might want to re-read the sentence since ethics and politicians aren’t something they are used to seeing together.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed 3 new senators in the week leading up to the vote. All 3 voted to approve the bill. There are still quite a few vacant spots in the Canadian Senate.

Canada goal: Legal marijuana by Canada Day 2018

What a Justin Trudeau government might mean to the United States

Canadians need to be smart if coming to Washington state for pot

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The bill has to go through the House and Senate once more before Parliament breaks for the summer on June 22. Bills need to be reintroduced if a bill is not passed before Parliament is adjourned.

We have noted in the past that the government will require several weeks once royal assent is reached before marijuana becomes legal in Canada.

Early autumn looks about right for a timetable, assuming no major snags occur, for recreational marijuana to be legally consumed.

photo credit: me

Super Troopers 2 brings jokes about Canada across the border

The time is MEOW for the #SuperTroopers2 Red Band Trailer.

Only In Theaters 4.20.18 pic.twitter.com/bWwnluGxtP

— Super Troopers 2 (@SuperTroopers) January 19, 2018

As we've seen with Kevin Smith, a love for Canada doesn't translate to a decent portrayal onscreen of Canada on film. The Broken Lizard troupe, known for Super Troopers (2001), took on Canada in Super Troopers 2. They brought the jokes and let Canadians respond in kind.

The policemen in the original film were Vermont state troopers who kept getting demoted. Years later, they are doing construction when given the opportunity to put on the uniform. The premise is that part of Quebec belongs to Vermont and the troopers will run the transition.

There are a lot of jokes about the metric system taken to the extreme. After all, Canada doesn't measure people in centimetres. One of their duties is changing highway signs from kilometres to miles. One of the Canadian Mounties says you just need to multiply by 2, add 32, and join the rest of the human race.

The film is full of pranks, true to Broken Lizard style. When they prank the Canadian Mounties, they call them during Hockey Night in Canada. "Who calls people during Hockey Night in Canada?" The teams playing on the ice are the Halifax Bear-Eaters vs. the Banff Beavers.

The mayor Guy LeFranc (Rob Lowe) explains the origin of his nickname Halifax Explosion after the actual Halifax Explosion. Lowe told Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live that he wanted to talk about the actual Halifax Explosion. As has been noted in various stories, some of what LeFranc says is true, other parts aren't. No one ever accused the Super Troopers of being completely historically accurate.

At one point, the Ontario Provincial Police gets mentioned. This leads to the obvious joke that they are down with OPP.

All the troopers Thorny (star and director Jay Chandrasekhar) sample illegal drugs from a seizure. Thorny ends up on a female libido enhancement drug called Flova Scotia.

Even though they are converting this part of Canada to the United States, the exit signs in the station house all say "Sortie."

Will Sasso, Tyler Labine, and Hayes MacArthur play the Canadian Mounties. Sasso and Labine are Canadian. We even get a cry of "tabarnak" from one of the mounties. Canadian actress Emmanuelle Chriqui plays French/Canadian cultural attaché Genevieve Aubois. Bruce McCullouch has a cameo as the border guard when the troopers first enter Canada.

The Mounties point out that Canada gained its independence in 1982. The American troopers are surprised they can say queefing on Canadian television. You can say and see a lot more on Canadian TV.

Super Troopers 2 has the spirit of a passionate exchange between the two countries. The response from Quebecers is relatively light compared to how they would really react if the United States threatened to take their land.

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The Canadian jokes, for and against, were mostly well-thought and constructed. Some of them were cheap and a little weird. Given what most American films say about Canada, Super Troopers 2 rank as one of the most authentic American films about Canada. Not where Scott Pilgrim Saved the World rests but above Yoga Hosers, which to be fair to Kevin Smith was way better than Tusk.

Fans of the first Super Troopers film will remember a syrup (probably not real maple) chugging contest. That would have fit in well in Super Troopers 2.

Videos credit: @SuperTroopers; YouTube/q on CBC
Photos credit: Super Troopers 2

How much closer is Canada to getting legal marijuana?

This should be the last 4/20 Day where marijuana is not legal in Canada. There have been some bumps and bruises along the way with the unelected Canadian Senate to passing C-45, the marijuana legalization bill.

The final vote is scheduled in the Canadian Senate on or before June 7. Given the tone and pace of the Senate, you can count on June 7 being the date. A passed bill does not mean instant legal marijuana.

• Governor General Julie Payette has to sign the bill by royal assent to make the law legal.
• Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor has said there will be a transition of 8-12 weeks after royal assent to get the retail system going.
• The bill will likely stipulate that the law needs a fixed date to come into force.

So that date will be sometime in summer 2018 but no specifics yet.

Canada goal: Legal marijuana by Canada Day 2018

What a Justin Trudeau government might mean to the United States

Canadians need to be smart if coming to Washington state for pot

Conservative senators have said they need answers to pass C-45. They are getting answers but not ones they like from the Trudeau Government. A trio of Conservative senators made their way to Washington earlier this month to get what they say are answers they aren't getting in Canada.

Canadian Conservative Senators Denise Batters, Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, and Claude Carignan made the trip to find out about the impact legalization will have on the Canada-U.S. relationship. Such a trip would be elaborate to interview pro- and anti-legalization people. Who are we kidding: they went to visit Donald Trump people.

"Canadians have reasons to be worried!" the senators said in the statement. They would know this even if they never left Canada.

There will be issues for Canadians coming to the United States but they won't be much different than the issues they have now in crossing the border. Canadians often get asked if they have ever taken drugs and some Canadians know that they can be denied entry into the United States for any admitted past drug use.

The conservative senators also talked to Jeff Sessions, the most paranoid public person on marijuana. This is like being scared and talking to someone who will scare you and then saying, "see, I told you I had a reason to be scared."

This Washington trip came shortly after the close vote of the second reading of the bill. The fear was there might not be enough votes to keep the debate going. The Trudeau Government had to rally Liberal and independent senators to make sure they were there for the March 22 vote.

None of this has to do with the autonomy of Canada to pass its own laws without permission of a neighboring country.

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In an environment where former Speaker of the House John Boehner — a Republican — has joined the board of a cannabis company, this international crisis talk might seem a little silly. After all, several states have done what Canada is trying to do.

There is a considerable amount of power in the hands of those fighting this losing battle on the U.S. side. There are enough Senate votes to pass C-45 assuming the amendments don't go too far with the bill.

Canadians have legitimate questions: toking-and-driving; limited availability (we're looking at you, Ontario); edibles; cross-border traffic and customs. Most of the discussion has been about delay instead of addressing those issues.

We should point out that the June 7 date for the final vote is the same day as the Ontario election that might be won by Doug Ford, an alleged drug trafficker.

Canada Day 2018 will be toke-free but Canada won't be that way for much longer.

photo credit: me