Last June, Justin Trudeau announced the official date for recreational marijuana legalization in Canada, as he promised in his election platform. Fast forward a few months, and government officials are still scrambling to make sense of it all and to find the answers before the legalization date of October 17.
What does it all mean for us at Camosun? The college is still scrambling to figure it out, too.
It’s been a long time coming; we’ve all witnessed the gradual societal shift. In my youth, public consumption could land a person in jail, and today it generally goes unnoticed if that same person walks down Douglas Street smoking a joint at rush hour. The government decision is probably about 15 years behind public opinion on the matter.
After sitting down to read bills C-30 and C-31, I have more questions than I did before I began. I guess I’ll hit the pavement and see what I can find out.
Camosun College vice president of student experience Joan Yates says that there are still a lot of questions around the regulations surrounding cannabis legalization. She says that Camosun is waiting to see what the government does before moving forward. When I ask if students will be permitted to smoke on campus, Yates says that the short answer is that Camosun doesn’t know yet.
“We are still doing the work to determine what we need to do, as are most of the other colleges in the system right now,” says Yates. “There is a little bit of wait and see, in large part because we don’t want to be coming in too heavy-handed. We tend to develop policy work as we see what our community needs and wants from us, so we don’t know that yet.”
Much of the debate has already been covered in other policy areas, says Yates, adding that the issue is less about smoking and more about protecting students’ personal space.
“We have a smoking policy,” Yates says. “Like cigarette smoking, there is a health issue associated with it, as well as invading people’s spaces. We have a smoking policy that will cover some elements of it.”
The other piece is that Camosun has student and employee conduct policies about being under the influence of anything in the classroom; Yates says these policies will remain intact.
“We want to make sure that professional practice is followed,” says Yates, “i.e. when you’re in the classroom, you’re acting professionally, as a student should. That includes not being under the influence. The rules in that area are much the same as with alcohol. I think that is really more of a concern than smoking… imagine a trades student getting high and working with heavy equipment, or a nursing student.”
Yates says that the debate as to where and when students can smoke is not as complicated for Camosun as it is for some institutions, such as the University of Victoria.
“The difference is that we don’t have residences,” says Yates. “Many of the campuses that are most embroiled in this have people living there as well as studying. There is lots of work being done right now to figure out where people can go to undertake a now legal activity. Many residences have parameters around liquor as well.”
While smoking seems to be at the forefront, there are a number of questions that need answering, says Yates. What if, for example, people are taking cannabis for medical reasons?
“They have been permitted to do that up until now,” Yates says, “and we probably wouldn’t change that. But if it has an impact where people are not effective at their work because they are under the influence, that’s a different issue. That’s some of the debating that we’re doing about usage overall.”
For now Camosun is playing wait and see, but as October 17 approaches, Yates says the college is paying very close attention.
“We have done research with other institutes to see what is occurring,” says Yates. “We have received legal advice about what the parameters should be. These are all important pieces, but at the end of the day, I think that most people just carry on and go to school, and smoke in the smoking section.”
Camosun chair of Economics, Statistics and University Transfer Business Bijan Ahmadi says that there are still too many unknown variables at this point to know what legalization will look like.
“Of course we’re not ready,” says Ahmadi. “As of today, on October 17, I believe the only place that you’ll be able to access cannabis in BC, is Kamloops. They’ve had lots of time to create a framework, but they’ve waited until the last minute. They haven’t really created a storefront framework. Over the past five to 10 years, the pseudo-medical access providers have been opening up storefronts and creating a framework that works. They work with people in the community, they have anecdotal evidence from their membership, they have products and supply and distribution chains, and they could be on-the-ground providers if they can be fit within a framework. It appears to me that the provincial government has a bit of an issue with that, so I’m not sure that we’re ready.”
One of the biggest questions, says Ahmadi, is who will be producing the product a year from now.
“Because it is an emerging industry which is constantly changing,” says Ahmadi, “I don’t know where that’s going to go. When the new regulations came out, as distributed from the Canadian government to the provinces, they were held under the idea that the government still permits licensed producers. I believe that the model from the medical market has transitioned over to the recreational cannabis market. Now what you have are firms that have to have enough start-up and run through the hoops to get certified. The hoops on the medical side were quite significant, as far as security and testing. It really meant that only large companies could survive. The new market model, which isn’t quite in place, appears to be one with a number of large commercial distributors that all sell, in BC, to an office or cannabis control board, a pre-packaged and prepared product for sale.”
All markets represent new opportunities, says Ahmadi, so it does represent a new opportunity for Camosun students.
“There will be more programs involving cannabis as a part of their framework,” says Ahmadi, “because it will no longer be as taboo to talk about. We’ll see that opening up. In a sense, I don’t think there will be new employment opportunities. There is only transfer of employment. The companies are already out there in an illegal market… It’s shifting from cash to credit, and becoming part of our mainstream market. The creation of the industry, the framework behind it, and all of the legwork took years to develop, and the people who have been doing that are ingrained within it. In a sense, it is really just another marketing opportunity for yet another good that is being produced.”
Ahmadi says that this could have happened years ago, but the taboo with cannabis is such that people didn’t want to talk about it.
“Even on October 17 there will be a taboo between people who smoke and people who don’t,” says Ahmadi. “It’s not that significant. Five to 15 percent of people regularly use cannabis, five to seven percent for daily users, and 15 to 20 percent are using occasionally. They had a big voice when they were oppressed, but as oppression lifts, their voice will drop. If you are no longer marginalized you don’t need to have that same voice. We talk about what cannabis is going to bring to society, and all of the coming changes, but I think it’s going to be an unceremonious fizzle.”
As the smoke clears, Ahmadi says we will adjust and carry on.
“I’d argue that next year there is a store, and if you want to smoke cannabis, you just go to the store and buy it, and the question of whether it was produced by an artisanal producer or not, or whether the certification agency was authorized by the provincial or federal government, or any of those other things won’t enter your mind any more than where Labatt is brewed, or what is in a Coors Light,” he says. “Most people will just buy the product and consume it.”
With a very large student base, Camosun campuses host a spectrum of viewpoints. I took the time to wander Lansdowne and ask a dozen random students how they felt about cannabis legalization, and how it might affect life as a student at Camosun. What I encountered ranged from students who don’t care and declined to comment to those with very strong opinions, both in favour and against legalization.
A general arts and sciences student who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic is strongly opposed to the legislation.
“They’re not legalizing it,” says the student. “They are controlling and selling it, while they amp up the ramifications for illegal behaviour within the marijuana industry. It’s not legalization. I am not for it, at all.”
The student says that the changes to laws in BC are flawed at every level and do nothing to improve the situation.
“I don’t know why they are trying to change it,” says the student. “It’s awesome now. You can easily access a good product in a non-dangerous situation. I think the major issue, moving forward, is that the federal, provincial, municipal governments are all involved, and there is a lot of confusion between the departments as to how to actually do it.”
The student says that new limits around what products can be sold are actually going to take us backwards in terms of medical cannabis use.
“They are taking away things like distillates and extracts that a lot of people are using as medicine,” they say. “Some of those products work better for some people than smoking the plant. There will be no distillate pens. Some people don’t smoke but use marijuana for medicine. They may have to switch from distillate pens, which are much better for your health, to combustible plant products. That is going to be detrimental to people’s health. That is totally backwards.”
The student says that the confusion, created by the lack of certainty and the approaching legalization date, has legitimate companies unsure of what to do next.
“People who built up businesses around marijuana don’t know what to do yet,” they say, “and the government isn’t being very clear about it. If you operate a dispensary, and you’re open one day after legalization, you can be fined, and once you’ve been fined, you can’t ever operate a marijuana dispensary. Every single dispensary is going to have to shut down. Of course some people will go with it, and shut down on the 16th, which will be the end of business for them. Who knows how long it will be before they are actually able to procure marijuana after that? It’s going to put a lot of people out of work who are currently in the industry. As it stands, there is one store in Kamloops set to open on October 17. Growers and producers are liquidating, just trying to get rid of everything, because they don’t know what to do.”
As this student sees it, the laws are set up to send the industry back underground.
“We are likely to see big companies who produce sub-par dope for prices that are not accommodating for people who like to use marijuana,” says Cottrell. “For anyone who looks outside of that system, the potential to go to jail is much higher. They want 15-year sentences for people involved in the transporting. It is the opposite of legalization. Basically, I think the black market is going to come back, big time.”
The student says that the government is set on the date because of financial commitments, and he doesn’t think there is enough time to straighten it out.
“Why don’t they just step back and slow down?” they say. “There is so much money wrapped up in this that even though they are nowhere near ready, they still have to do it. They are going to roll out this framework that is broken in so many ways. I would rather see them wait until they have got it figured out. They are rushing it, and it certainly isn’t for the benefit of the people who use the plant.”
This student believes that their peers should be given the choice as to where and when they consume cannabis.
“I personally don’t smoke marijuana before class,” they say, “because I’m paying to be here, and I don’t personally need to use it. But, do I think students should be able to use it? 100 percent. If people are using it for pain management, and they can’t get through class without it, then yes, go for it. I see students here smoking marijuana. I couldn’t do that, but that is their prerogative. If they are able to get through class, and give their teacher respect and attention, then go for it.”
Kirstin Currie is currently upgrading to meet the prerequisites for the Dental Hygiene program; she says she thinks that decriminalizing cannabis is a good idea.
“I don’t really understand why it was criminalized in the first place in Canada,” says Currie. “We are pretty lenient about marijuana already. I don’t know why there are such strict punishments around it. There are positives and negatives to everything. There are huge medical benefits, and possible tax benefits, but there are always people who take advantage of the situation and abuse it, but that should be left up to the individual.”
Currie says that she thinks cannabis use is treated unfairly.
“It has definitely been demonized,” says Currie. “Alcohol is way more harmful, yet it is legal. People go out on the weekend and get blackout drunk, but if someone smokes a joint we put a label on them.”
As a student at Camosun, Currie says that she has no concerns with students using at school.
“It’s not like people will be lighting up in the classrooms or anything. It doesn’t really bother me. There are rules around smoking, so it won’t be right outside the doors.”
Second-year Psychology student Richard Williams says that he is all for legalization.
“I don’t know what to say, because it just seems like common sense,” says Williams. “There is a lot of money spent fighting it which could be spent researching its uses and dangers and educating people rather than just saying, ‘This is bad.’”
Williams says that he doesn’t really think other students using would affect him at all.
“It might be kind of weird if students are using it on the grounds in the smoking area,” says Williams, “but I wouldn’t be against it, as long as it is contained. I feel pretty much the same about it as I do about tobacco.”
Second year Criminal Justice student TJ McGregor says that there are a number of benefits to legalization.
“I’d say that it’s probably good for the economy,” says McGregor. “By doing it legally, we are getting drug dealers out of the picture. Regulating it will mean people can do it in a safe environment, and allow government to determine where people can smoke it. It’s different for military, too. Rules around that rolled out about a month ago. There are so many different components. It has similar rules to the ones for tobacco, so we can set rules around where it can be smoked, so kids aren’t exposed to it. It’s definitely safer when it’s government regulated.”
While that all sounds good in theory, McGregor says that it may not go quite as smoothly on the ground.
“Right now we are all speculating as to how it’s going to look,” says McGregor. “Once legalization rolls out, we’re going to have to adjust to see what’s working and what’s not. The biggest concern is what isn’t going to work, and will we be ready?”
There is good and bad with everything, and McGregor says he has some concerns as a student.
“I think it’s fine after classes, but it’s a distraction if people are using before classes,” says McGregor. “They won’t pay attention. I think we should keep it off campus so people can do their work. It’s a matter of opinion, and I’m sure there are people who would argue with me, but I’d say keep it off campus. Save it for after class. It’s just easier for everyone. If they do smoke, please keep it in the smoking areas.”
Camosun director of Continuing Education (CE) Janice Hanna says that marijuana legalization represents a rare opportunity, as it’s an industry that has flown under the radar for so long and is now coming to the mainstream.
“In order to participate in this industry,” Hanna says, “whether you’re raising capital, running the books, or hiring people, you still need to know about the product itself. There has to be an awareness about what it is that you’re putting out there. People need to understand the history, and the space within which the industry operates. It’s like the end of prohibition in some ways.”
The goal, Hanna says, is to launch into the subject area as a responsible provider of community education.
“We’re in partnership with Kwantlen Polytechnic University [KPU], which has been one of the curriculum development leaders in cannabis education in BC,” says Hanna. “We are the only college that is offering cannabis education through the CE delivery area. We are in good partnership with KPU to deliver really well-researched and scientifically sound curriculum to anyone who enrols in our classes. We aren’t embarking in research at the college. We are relying upon a great partner to provide us with a really good curriculum.”
The college launched its first marijuana-related class, Growing Cannabis for Professionals, in April.
“The purpose of that course is to introduce professionals into the industry of cannabis,” says Hanna. “That course is giving a general overview of the science behind cannabis and the plant itself. It’s an introduction to the history of cannabis. It really gives professionals who have taken accounting, business, or horticulture an idea of what the industry is all about.”
There is a second course, Cannabis Operations, that Hanna says will start in January 2019.
“That’s a course for people who are looking to do a managerial job with a licensed producer,” says Hanna. “Management jobs, supervisory jobs, operations and processing jobs, accounting, human resources will all be required for a large operation. It’s for someone with a little bit of management experience who would like to learn a little bit about the operations of a licensed producer. We talk about the plant itself, what kind of environment is required, the type of lighting, and the end-to-end processing, from seed selection to cultivation. It gives someone interested in a supervisory or management role an idea of what it’s like inside a cannabis growing operation.”
Acknowledging that there may still be stigma toward cannabis in the greater community, Hanna says there will be more debate to come.
“If I step back and ask, ‘What is the role of a public education institution in a community?’ it’s to be able to have discourse and open some dialogue around these issues. Of course there are two sides to the story—that’s why we have the type of free speech and dialogue that we do in colleges and universities. For us, it would be negligent not to be involved in a responsible way with an industry that is getting so much national and international attention.”
From a health-care perspective, Camosun Health and Human Services dean Cynthia Smith says that legalization will make medical marijuana readily available to the public.
“Right now people can only go to the dispensaries for medical marijuana,” says Smith. “With the legalization of it, mainstream retail outlets like Pharmasave and Shoppers Drug Mart will be offering medical marijuana. From what I understand, it’s not going to happen overnight, but availability will be more widespread.”
Smith says cannabis education, to some degree, is in most of the health programs, adding that there are unique aspects to it that are important to different areas of education.
“A Dental Hygiene student is going to be educated on smoking and the impacts it has on the mouth cavity,” says Smith. “Then, of course, in the Mental Health and Addictions program, we talk about the potential of cannabis to exacerbate mental illness, and how it is used in the treatment of mental disorders. In Nursing, we talk about how it’s used to treat people with cancer, as well as how it is used to treat pain and arthritis. Then there is the matter of informed consent—making sure that if a patient is exhibiting any kind of psychotropic effects of drugs that their informed consent to be a patient is addressed, regardless of what field our students are learning about. Understanding what the drug can be used for, and the impact on patients, and how could that affect practitioners.”
Smith feels that as it becomes more available, it’s gaining more interest from students and becoming more integrated into the curriculum. From a personal standpoint, Smith says that she’s generally optimistic, but she stresses the importance of continuing research and education.
“I recently read a Canadian survey, interviewing both health and social service practitioners, and what came up was that there were more questions than answers, and there were a lot of misconceptions. I think there is a lot more that we can do in terms of educating ourselves as health practitioners and then informing the public. There are a lot of misconceptions around it being a gateway drug, not understanding that many of the medicinal forms of cannabis don’t have the mind-altering effects. Some of the research points to benefits of medicinal cannabis for arthritis, and multiple sclerosis, and various other ailments. We need to make sure that we are informed of the current research, and that we share that with students.”
Smith points to further research that she says suggests that increase in use, once it gets legalized, will predominantly be among 18- to 24-year-olds.
“The concern there is about safe use, just like it is with alcohol,” says Smith. “I think we have done a good job in Canada, and internationally, around designated drivers, and not drinking and driving, and now we need to do that with cannabis. There is concern about the age of use, but I think aligning it with the drinking age is appropriate. The fact that we are going to remove the criminal aspect is just so much healthier.”
Camosun College Student Society external executive Fillette Umulisa says that she is happy that the government “has decided to stop fighting a losing battle.”
“They will stop wasting money fighting against people,” she says.
Two weeks ago I sat down at my computer with the goal of making sense of the new marijuana legislation. I thought I was getting close. The legislation doesn’t make sense, but I thought that I understood it. That all changed two days before deadline, when I ran into the student who requested anonymity for this piece again in the courtyard. After exchanging pleasantries, they asked me if I had heard that Canada had just signed on with Mexico and the US for a renewal of the war on drugs…
I think we have reached a tipping point, as a society, agreeing that the drug problem should be treated as a health issue rather than one for the prison system. I take legalization, at least partly, as a token gesture from our government to let us know that they walk with the people.
I don’t know how to end this story. I guess I’ll have to write a sequel.