Number one: Canada elects a marijuana-legalizing prime minister.

The global anti-drug regime has been in place for more than a half century now, but the prohibitionist consensus has been crumbling for at least 20 years, and the decomposition continued apace this year.

The international treaties that make up the legal backbone of international drug prohibition still stand, but they are under increasing attack at the United Nations, which will take them up again next year. They are increasingly being breached (especially by marijuana legalization at the national and sub-national level) and nibbled away at around the edges by moves like drug decriminalization and some harm reduction measures such as supervised injection facilities.

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Dec. 30, 2015) -

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES

For legalization advocates, 2015 has been a historic year.

Marijuana was pushed further into the mainstream than ever before, and new policies passed at the state level seem to confirm that the public and lawmakers are ready to have a rational conversation about the future of pot in America.

The cannabis industry is filled with passionate, forward-thinking people who have devoted their life's work to changing people's perceptions. But the question remains - how do people become involved in the cannabis industry in the first place? It turns out everyone has a unique personal journey that has brought them to the world of cannabis. Each week cannabis professionals, activists, and others will tell their stories in their own words. This essay comes from Lisa Campbell, the Chair of Women Grow Toronto.

BELLEVILLE - 

According to the “United States Organic Food Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2018” report, growth for the United States organic food market is likely going to continue until 2018 with a CAGR of 14% on the industry. Also, the report states that the Western side of the United states is driving the organic food market revenue and increasing awareness.

A new model must meet the government’s objectives of keeping it out of kids’ hands, preventing organized crime from profiting while providing reasonable access to adult consumers

The past few weeks have seen an abundance of media coverage addressing possible models for the retail sale of cannabis, with varying parties jockeying for position.  We still don’t know what Canada’s recreational cannabis regime will look like…and there are several options.

By 1971, marijuana’s scent hung over most of Canada. Some 1.5 million folks had taken at least one drag on a joint. Hundreds of thousands were regularly firing up, grooving to Three Dog Night and learning from the leaked Pentagon Papers that the U.S. administration had lied about the Vietnam War.

Convictions for simple pot possession exploded: from 431 in 1967 to 5,399 in 1970 and 8,389 in 1971. More than half were against otherwise law-abiding baby boomers under 21 who would now carry criminal records along with their university degrees.

Those Canadians charged or convicted with possession of marijuana before the drug is legalized should not be given amnesty. PABLO PORCIUNCULA / AFP/Getty Images

When someone is charged with a crime, the laws in place at the time of the offence dictate how that individual will be punished if convicted. The exception is outlined in Section 11(i) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which states: “Any person charged with an offence has the right . . . if found guilty of the offence and if the punishment for the offence has been varied between the time of commission and the time of sentencing to the benefit of the lesser punishment.”