This spring, Canada’s Parliament is expected to consider a recreational marijuana legalization measure. At the top of the new year, cities in Alberta and British Columbia are bracing for the impact of legal marijuana, and the effects it could have on the workplace and in communities, by considering a slew of legislative responses.

In Edmonton, Alberta, the Chamber of Commerce is pursuing policy ideas that would help workplaces adapt to a legal marijuana market across Canada. Janet Riopel, CEO of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, which represents 2,400 businesses, told CBC that “employers have said marijuana use is inconsistent with safe work places.” She added: “employers want to know what employees’ rights are. Because employees have a right to a safe working environment.”

According to Edmonton City Councilor Mike Nickel, the move is meant to prepare for the inevitable legalization, rather than react to the federal government. “When we are trying to play catch up, that’s when the negative effects of any kind of policy tend to hit the streets first,” he said. “And with the potential legalization of marijuana, it’s clear we want to get in front of this issue, not behind it.”

In Richmond, British Columbia, city officials are working on legislation to prohibit marijuana dispensaries, even when marijuana is allowed to be sold in a legal storefront. The Richmond City Council is looking at a bylaw that would effectively bar dispensaries in the town. “Legalization doesn’t mean to say we have to follow suit,” Councilman Bill McNulty told The Globe and Mail.

Last spring, government officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, signaled that Canada will be looking at legalization measures sooner rather than later. At the United Nations last April, Canadian Health Minister Jane Philpott called for “drug policy that is informed by solid scientific evidence and uses a lens of public health to maximize education and minimize harm.”

Philpott added: “Our approach to drugs must be comprehensive, collaborative and compassionate. It must respect human rights while promoting shared responsibility. And it must have a firm scientific foundation.” In December, a government task force released its findings about how Canada’s marijuana market should be regulated. It recommended creating a 30 gram possession limit, and a minimum purchasing age of 18.

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Medical marijuana in Canada: there’s an app for that. Aurora Cannabis, an Alberta-based producer, launched a mobile app, believed to be the first legal app of its kind. Medical marijuana patients can now order “Sentinel,” “Snow Dome,” or other strains from their smartphones and tablets, streamlining the consumption process for the 80,000 to 90,000 Canadians with a prescription for pot.

“The fact is that people live on their phones and tablets,” said Cam Battley of Aurora Cannabis. “They use them to shop for everything from consumer products and health products to medicine. It is an acknowledgment of the reality of how people operate today.”

The app includes pictures, product descriptions, and lists the price per gram of the different strains. Customers in parts of Alberta, a western province in Canada, will receive same-day delivery, and customers everywhere get free delivery for orders of five grams or more. Cannabis is legal for medical purposes in Canada, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is expected to legalize recreational marijuana next Spring.

Presenting the first mobile app for buying federally legal medical marijuana!
Registered Aurora clients only #acmpr pic.twitter.com/sazrxUh5wA

— Aurora Cannabis Inc (@Aurora_MMJ) September 12, 2016

Aurora Cannabis is one of 35 licensed producers of medical marijuana in the country. At its production facility in Cremona, Alberta, Aurora has ten rooms in which it cultivates its plants. The company has 7,700 registered patients. Health Canada, the government arm that regulates and oversees the marijuana industry, does not allow producers to advertise their products, but they can provide basic information on their websites, and now, their mobile apps.

In an email to Canada’s CBC News, a Health Canada spokesman said his department “does not have any concerns at this time” regarding Aurora’s app.

There are other weed-related apps on the iTunes store. Weedmaps is a marijuana directory, providing customers with the locations of doctors and dispensaries. Leafly also has a map function, but it also acts as a compilation of information regarding the thousands of strains of the drug. But according to Battley, his company’s app is the first to directly connect consumer to producer.

As cannabis laws continue to loosen in Canada and the U.S., expect to see more pot apps pop up in the near future.

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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The parents of 19-month-old Ezekiel Stephen were found guilty of letting their child die after he contracted bacterial meningitis in 2012.

David Stephan, 32, and Collet Stephan, 36, who live in Lethbridge, Alberta in Canada, walked out of an emotional courtroom Tuesday after hearing their fate. They won’t, however, be held in custody, and will return to court in June for their sentencing hearing.

They were charged with “failing to provide the necessaries of life,” under Section 215 of the Canadian Criminal Code.

The courtroom was overtaken with emotions when the verdict was read. Collet began to sob, as did multiple people in the courtroom and on the jury bench.

The maximum sentence the Stephans could get for not providing these necessaries of life would be five years in prison, but according to some lawyers, that doesn’t seem like a likely scenario.

“It’s not like they were not feeding their child or they were purposely withholding medication that they knew would assist the child but didn’t,” Shannon Prithipaul, former president of the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association, said to CBC News.

The jury comprised of eight women and four men was told that the parents took Ezekiel to a naturopathic clinic when he was too stiff to sit up in his car seat and had to lay on a mattress instead.

This is what Crown wants Canadians to learn from trial of Ezekiel Stephan’s parents (he’d died of meningitis) pic.twitter.com/enHFgsu0wb

— Kate Adach (@KateMedia) April 27, 2016

“They definitely, definitely loved their son but as stated in our closing arguments, unfortunately sometimes love just isn’t enough,” Crown prosecutor Lisa Weich said to the Toronto Sun. “Parents still have to follow a standard of care as set by criminal law.”

The parents faced criticism following Ezekiel’s death because of their decision not to vaccinate him.

According to the CDC, “The most effective way to protect you and your child against certain types of bacterial meningitis is to complete the recommended vaccine schedule [sic].”

The CDC also said there are roughly 1.2 million cases of bacterial meningitis per year worldwide.

In addition, “Without treatment, the case-fatality rate can be as high as 70 percent, and one in five survivors of bacterial meningitis may be left with permanent sequelae including hearing loss, neurologic disability, or loss of a limb.”

The parents testified that they did not understand the severity of his condition and thought that he had the croup or the flu. The CDC also reported “[the parents] treated him for 2½ weeks with remedies that included hot peppers, garlic, onions and horseradish and a product from a naturopathic doctor aimed at boosting his immune system.”

The Stephans finally called 911 when Ezekiel had stopped breathing and he was taken to the local emergency room and later flown to Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary, where he was later pronounced brain dead and taken off of life support.

“I was in tears like everybody else,” said Eric Sveinson, brother-in-law, to the Toronto Sun. “I was angry, frustrated. We’re very disheartened and very disappointed and hope that the world can see that a beautiful family was unjustly charged today.”

Julia Bryant

Julia Bryant is an Editorial Senior Fellow at Law Street from Howard County, Maryland. She is a junior at the University of Maryland, College Park, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Economics. You can contact Julia at JBryant@LawStreetMedia.com.

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