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Liberals can open doors to cannabis globally

Published on September 17, 2021 by David Wylie

The federal government can work with other world governments to limit barriers for Canadian trade, says Kelowna-Lake Country candidate Tim Krupa.

In his late 20s, Krupa has worked in the Prime Minister’s Office working on policy.

“Canada is a big producer of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes,” he tells the oz. in an interview.

“There’s a lot of red tape with foreign governments. What the federal government can do is work with other governments to explore putting place agreements and leverage our global position to limit barriers so Canadian businesses have access to markets.”

Krupa says he’s proud the government legalized and regulated cannabis, for reasons that it helps keep kids safe and keeps millions of dollars out of the pockets of gangs and organized crime.

Status quo for marketing

As for advertising and marketing restrictions, he says he doesn’t think cannabis advertising will look more like alcohol.

“I think it’s important to ensure that products aren’t enticing to youth and that we’re protecting young Canadians. I think businesses have been able from what I understand to find ways to market and sell their products, such as age-gating websites or ensuring social media content is for folks who are of legal age.”

Expungement vs. pardons

“I think one thing that’s important is to ensure Canadians who do have possession charges can be pardoned. They have serious lifelong implications from that, even if it’s a minor charge. This can also help reduce the burden on our court systems.”

“Overall, regulation can lead to a safer product for Canadians.”

Something the government and the party are looking into. “I know it has pretty serious implications.” Something he’d want to learn more about and consider if elected.

The Liberals brought in legislation in 2019 to waive record suspension application wait periods and the application fees for people convicted of simple possession of cannabis.

A record creates barriers for accessing employment, housing and education programs.

More potent pot edibles and drinks

Asked about the 10-mg limit for drinks and edibles, Krupa said:

“I think fundamentally the hope is people use cannabis responsibly, and we need to ensure they are reducing risk for themselves and others, including not driving after consumption and regulating their consumption in a responsible way. I understand that some folks in the industry are concerned about the regulations on THC limits. I think we need to make sure those limits make sense for consumers and producers so that we can have a viable and intelligent regulatory system in Canada.”