cannabis Archives - Ratna Omidvar

Question to Minister Blair: Unintended consequences of Bills C-45 and 46 for permanent residents

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada November 6, 2018 Bill C-45, Bill C-46, cannabis, impaired driving, legalization, Questions

Senator Omidvar asks Minister Blair about his government's commitment to addressing unintended consequences of legalized cannabis and new laws on impaired driving for permanent residents.

SPEECH: Minister Hussen’s Commitment to Address Unintended Consequences of Bill C-45 for Immigrants

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada June 19, 2018 Bill C-45, cannabis, Chamber Speeches, immigrants, legalization

"We argued in committee and in the chamber, I believe, that it was not simply unfair but also against the principle of the bill, which is decriminalization. Instead, as a knock-on effect, there is an over-the-top impact on just one class of residents, and that is permanent residents, while others follow a different path to rehabilitation."

SPEECH: Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act at Third Reading

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada June 8, 2018 Bill C-45, cannabis, Chamber Speeches, legalization

"Once legalized cannabis is the norm, you will go into a store or online and purchase a product. If it is labelled, you know what you are getting. You know its potency levels. There may be warnings on it, et cetera. You can be guaranteed that it will not be laced with a harmful substance."

Will the Senate pass the cannabis bill tonight? No one knows for sure

John Paul Tasker CBC June 7, 2018 Bill C-45, cannabis, immigrants, legalization, permanent residents, refugees

Independent Ontario Sen. Ratna Omidvar secured enough support for an amendment that would protect immigrants or refugees convicted of relatively minor cannabis-related offences from being barred from getting their citizenships, or from deportation. The government will consider that amendment if the bill passes tomorrow, sources said.

WATCH: Immigration Consequences Around Bill C-45

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada April 30, 2018 Bill C-45, cannabis, immigration, social sharing of cannabis

On April 30 2018, Senator Ratna Omidvar asked witnesses testifying before the Senate's Social Affairs Committee about the potential impacts Bill C-45 in its current form could have on permanent residents and other immigrants, as well as the legal issues around social sharing of cannabis. This is part of the Senate's ongoing examination of Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act.

WATCH: Senator Omidvar talks cannabis legalization with the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario

Ratna Omidvar Registered Nurses Association of Ontario April 23, 2018 Bill C-45, cannabis, legalization, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, video

Recreational cannabis will become legal in Canada this summer. Yet many questions remain about what a future with legalized cannabis looks like. Watch as Senator Omidvar participates in a panel with nurses and public health experts to discuss Bill C-45, The Cannabis Act.

WATCH: Senator Art Eggleton on Age Limits and Criminalization | Senate Study on Bill C-45, The Cannabis Act

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada April 19, 2018 Bill C-45, cannabis, legalization, Senator Art Eggleton

On April 19 2018, Senator Art Eggleton asked some important questions about recommended age limits for the possession of legal cannabis and the harms criminalization has had on young people in this country.

WATCH: Are we ready for legalized cannabis? | Senate Study on Bill C-45, The Cannabis Act

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada April 19, 2018 Bill C-45, cannabis, legalization

On April 19 2018, Ian Culbert of the Canadian Public Health Association answered questions about the extent to which Canada is prepared for the legalization of cannabis. He was one of the many witnesses who testified before the Senate of Canada's Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee during its examination of Bill C-45, The Cannabis Act.

Age restrictions for legal cannabis | Senate Study on Bill C-45, The Cannabis Act

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada April 18, 2018 Bill C-45, cannabis, legalization, SOCI, video

Lynda Balneaves of the Canadian Nurses Association explains some of the logic behind her organization's support of the age restrictions currently proposed for legal cannabis. Balneaves testified before the Senate of Canada's Social Affairs, Science and Technology (SOCI) committee on April 18, 2018

WATCH: Is cannabis a gateway drug? | Senate of Canada Study on Bill C-45, The Cannabis Act

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada April 17, 2018 Bill C-45, cannabis, legalization, SOCI, video

On April 16, 2018 I asked a question on the minds of many Canadians - is cannabis a gateway drug? Click on the link above to hear the response I received from Dr. Bernard Le Foll of the Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.