Tracey Ramsey, NDP Member of Parliament for / Député NDP Pour 35026 Essex (Ontario)

Tracey Ramsey, NDP Member of Parliament for / Député NDP Pour 35026 Essex (Ontario)

On Jan 13, 2016 10:50 AM, <Tracey.Ramsey@parl.gc.ca> wrote:
Dear Mr. Vekemans,
Thank you for taking the time to email me. I apologize for my delayed response.
I have looked over your correspondence and have forwarded onto the NDP’s Health Critic, Don Davies as he is our party’s lead on all issues relating to health and the best person to respond to this issue.
Thank you again and I wish you all the best,
Tracey Ramsey, MP Essex


From: Sam Vekemans [mailto:samvekemans@gmail.com] Sent: December 10, 2015 5:55 AM To: Ramsey, Tracey - M.P. Subject: Tracey Ramsey Re: Removing Cannabis From the Drug Schedule & support for e-petition
Thursday December 10, 2015
Tracey Ramsey, MP Essex (Ontario) House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Re: Removing Cannabis from the Drug Schedule.
Dear Tracey Ramsey,
Now that the Governor General has stated (on Friday December 4th 2015) in the Speech from the Throne, "To that end, the Government will introduce legislation that will ... legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana". The question remains on exactly how to go about doing this. I have taken the liberty of drafting my own independent Bill that I hope Members of Parliament & The Senate will accept & adopt. I have titled and Numbered the Bill, and put it in the format of existing legislation. Attached is a PDF (and links) for Bill S-420 'Remove Cannabis from the Drug Schedule Act' This legislation clearly outlines 7 things needed to be done.
1. End the Prohibition of Cannabis by completely removing it from Schedule II, VII and VIII;
2. Repeal the Industrial Hemp Regulations, Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations, along with the Other Consequential regulations relating to Cannabis as a Schedule II, VII and VIII substance;
Grant amnesty for past convictions under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act;
3.
4. Put an immediate end to arrests for simple possession and for cultivation of cannabis plants;
5. Permit personal cultivation akin to normal municipal regulations for growing garden plants at home;
6. Let the Provinces, Territories and First Nations decide how they want to (tax, regulate, control, distribute) cannabis if needed; and
7. Recognize the value of dispensaries working with any Provincial, Territorial or First Nations legal access system. Also, I am working on an e-petition for this removing of Cannabis from the drug schedule. Would you consider sponsoring it? Attached is a screen-view of it, and below is the text of the petition.
I look forward to your reply, comments and support for this proposal.
Yours sincerely,
Sam Vekemans (address) samvekemans@gmail.com
Inc. http://www.slideshare.net/samvekemans/bill-s-420-the-cannabis-freedom-act-an-act-to-amend-the-controlled-drugs-and-substances-act
http://issuu.com/samvekemans/docs/bills-420c-420thecannabisfreedomact
Attached is the latest version of the PDF document, and this is the link to the Google Document where public comment is permitted. (PLEASE NOTE: The PDF is a static copy of the draft bill, as more people are becoming aware of this initiative, people are making recommendations to improve. Please check the live Google Document, or confirm back with me when your ready to use this document, then i can refine it more) https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YyXaydeO1Lj2Q-kKgQm9PFrCtWbxxoIUrUa0BsYCuHE Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
· Cannabis is the safest herbal medicine known to mankind;
· Hemp has the potential to provide food, animal fodder, medicine, fiber, fuel and building materials if unregulated;
· Cannabis prohibition causes excessive social & economic harm and prevents actualization of environmental benefits;
· Access to cannabis as medicine is a constitutional right (Section 7 of the Charter) and access is not available to all who require it;
· Prohibition fuels and finances organized crime and gang violence;
· Raids on dispensaries and consequent harm to families and businesses continue unabated despite the Liberal government's impending legalization; and
· Cannabis prohibition began as a focused effort to harass, punish and deport racial minorities across North America;
We, the undersigned, Citizens or residents of Canada, request (or call upon) the Government of Canada to Amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to; 1. End the Prohibition of Cannabis by completely removing it from Schedule II, VII and VIII; 2. Repeal the Industrial Hemp Regulations, Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations, along with the Other Consequential regulations relating to Cannabis as a Schedule II, VII and VIII substance; 3. Grant amnesty for past convictions under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act; 4. Put an immediate end to arrests for simple possession and for cultivation of cannabis plants; 5. Permit personal cultivation akin to normal municipal regulations for growing garden plants at home; 6. Let the Provinces, Territories and First Nations decide how they want to (tax, regulate, control, distribute) cannabis if needed; and 7. Recognize the value of dispensaries working with any Provincial, Territorial or First Nations legal access system.