news // no. 4

DSU hosts Coming Out Day!

» A day to be proud of who you are

Tania Arora
Staff Reporter

 

n account of the 30th anniversary of

National Coming Out Day, Douglas
Students’ Union organized DSU Pride
Coming Out Day on October 9.

The event aimed to celebrate people's
gender identities and sexual orientations
in order to encourage the idea that people
should not be ashamed of who they are.
To celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, a
discussion was held where people could
come out and speak their heart out. Believe
it or not, some pride stories brought tears
to the eyes of everyone present.

In an interview with the Other Press,
Melissa Chirino, a second year Psychology
student and Pride Representative for the
DSU, said that there will be more events

Guidelines

> It’s legal, but barely

Katie Czenczek
News Editor

 

ith October 17 quickly approaching,

the BC government has revealed
how cannabis will be regulated in our
province.

A press release from the Ministry
of Public Safety and Solicitor General
highlighted that there will now be two
different types of licenses for those
interested in selling cannabis, replacing
the July 2018 Interim Licensing Regulation.
One of the key points from the press
release was that the use or opening of
cannabis in licensed retail stores and
government cannabis stores is prohibited.
This makes it so dreams of Amsterdam
cafés won't really materialize.

Interestingly enough, the majority of
people who replied to a telephone survey
conducted by the BC government—68
percent of respondents—were in support
of establishing tasting lounges or cannabis
cafés. For those who filled out a feedback
form, 75 percent supported the idea.

Cannabis can be smoked, vaped, or
consumed in any way in public spaces
where people also are allowed to smoke
tobacco or vape. Places where children are
likely to be—such as schools or parks—are
strictly prohibited. The only exception to
this rule is for those who use medicinal
marijuana, who will be able to do so at
schools and on trains, boats, and even
inter-city buses. Douglas College has
banned all cannabis smoking and vaping,
though they did not indicate on their
website whether that included medicinal
uses.

Adults, which in this case is anyone 19
years and older, are able to grow up to four
cannabis plants per household as long as
the plants cannot be seen by the public.
That being said, landlords and strata
councils will have the ability to ban people
from growing their own plants.

Driving while high will be
criminalized similarly to how it already has
been in the past. Going forward, the BC
government plans to “create a new go-day
Administrative Driving Prohibition (ADP)

like this in the future hosted by the DSU.

“Since I started working here, this
was my first event and I actually felt the
need of having one where students could
come out and express themselves and raise
their voice,” said Chirino. She said she
anticipates that the DSU will hold more
and more similar events in the future.

For people who couldn't come out and
didn’t feel confident enough to share their
stories, Chirino also said that her office isa
safe space.

“You can always come up to me during
my office hours and talk to me,’ she said. “I
will hear you out. If not, you can go to the
counsellors whenever you feel like.”

All the people present at the event
were from different countries and
backgrounds. A common idea passed
around them was that everyone felt Canada
is the safest country when it comes to the

acceptance of LGBTQ+
people.

According to the
Government of Canada’s
website, sexual intercourse
between same-sex couples
was only legalized in
1969, and same-sex marriage was only
considered legal in 2005. Though LGBTQ+
people are still a long way from being
treated equally in Canadian society, Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau was the first
Canadian prime minister to walk in pride
parades throughout the country, marking
another step towards full acceptance.

Various organizations like Egale
Canada, LAMBDA Foundation, Welcome
Friend Association, and PFLA Canada
aim to further sexual orientation rights
within Canada. Amendments were made
to the Canadian Human Rights Act in the

NATIONAL
COMING

 

theotherpress.ca

Image via DiversityGroup.co.uk

year 1996 to exclude sexual orientation as
a basis of discrimination. The Canadian
Human Rights Commission is in charge of
monitoring the implementation of the act.

Chirino said that compared to home,
she found Canada to be a more accepting
country.

“In other countries, people are both
ignorant and unaware of this whole
situation,’ she said. “Like my school back
home would never put a gay flag up. In
Canada, people are chill. They will hear you
more and not discriminate or act differently
with you.”

for cannabis legalization in BC

for drug affected driving”, according to the
BC government's website.

BC liquor stores will sell pre-packaged
and sealed dried cannabis, seeds, and
oils. All licensed selling of cannabis will
be taxed a seven percent PST on both
medicinal and recreational products.

The maximum amount of cannabis that a
person can possess in a non-public place is
1,000 grams.

US Customs and Border Protection
(CBP) said that Canadians working in the
cannabis industry legally will be allowed
entry into the US. This is a dramatic shift
to what was previously said two weeks
ago, when the CBP banned workers from
entering the country. It’s a significant
change in border control over cannabis,
since previously any mention of cannabis,
legal or not, could give a Canadian a
lifetime ban from the US. However, it
should still be noted that for those who
are just using recreational cannabis, they
may still be at risk for lifetime restriction if
considered an “abuser” of drugs banned by
our neighbours in the south.

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

Illustration by Cara Seccafien