Canopy Growth supports further expungement efforts
On November 9th, the Cannabis Council of Canada issued a public letter to the newly re-elected Liberal government. In this letter, they made several recommendations that we stand behind.
It should be noted however, that we do not support the call to increase enforcement actions against the illicit market. We believe the onus is on licensed producers, like Canopy Growth, to entice consumers to the legal market through consistent, high-quality products that earn consumers’ trust.
As a company we have worked tirelessly against the effects of prohibition and we at Canopy Growth are vehemently against the thinking that incarceration is the answer to illicit markets.
In April 2018, we launched the PARDON program through DOJA and since then have collected over 10,000 signatures to urge the federal government to pardon those who have been incarcerated for simple possession of cannabis. Broadening our efforts, moving beyond our Canadian borders, and in partnership with Equity First Alliance and Cage-Free Repair, we recently supported 2019 Expungement Week which brought expungement clinics and other forms of legal relief to 30 cities across the US to some of the 77 million Americans with convictions on their records.
We are committed to supporting efforts to restore justice to communities that have been overwhelmingly disenfranchised by prohibition. We want justice for these individuals and seek a society that explores reparation over incarceration.