Canada: Ontario closer than ever to legalization of marijuana
Ontario is one step closer to the legalization of marijuana after the Ontario Superior Court struck down two key parts of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act that prohibit the possession and production of pot.
The court declared the rules that govern medical marijuana access and the prohibitions laid out in sections 4 and 7 of the Act “constitutionally invalid and of no force and effect” on Monday, effectively paving the way for legalization.
If the government does not respond within 90 days with a successful delay or re-regulation of marijuana, the drug will be legal to possess and produce in Ontario, where the decision is binding.
The ruling stemmed from the constitutional challenge of Matthew Mernagh, a man who relies on medical marijuana to ease pain brought on by fibromyalgia, scoliosis, seizures and depression.
Man charged in Canada’s largest grow-op gets $1m fine, five years
A Markham, Ontario real estate agent who converted 54 rented homes into Canada’s largest-known illegal marijuana grow-op was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison and fined more than $1 million.
Phu Nhi (John) Trac, 46, must serve another five years if he fails to pay the fines within two years, Ontario Superior Court Justice Michael Brown also ruled at the sentencing in Newmarket.
