Mayor and provincial minister of public safety talking tough. What about the feds?

Surrey has been the site of more than 30 shootings since January, and residents have demanded government at all levels take action.

Last week, Mayor Linda Hepner offered tough talk about those involved with the shootings — "I want to call them punks," she said — saying that tougher sentences and more enforcement was the solution.

B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Morris also trumpeted enforcement, quoted as saying, "We're going to put these guys in jail."

So what does the federal government have to offer?

The Oregon Health Authority on Monday reminded medical marijuana dispensary operators that they can't sponsor raffles or contests that include free pot as a prize.  

The bulletin was issued during the week of 4/20, the unofficial holiday of sorts for the marijuana set.

"Marijuana may not be given as a prize, premium or consideration for a lottery, contest, game of chance, game of skill or competition of any kind," according to the memo from André Ourso, manager of the state's medical marijuana program.

Ourso also reminded dispensaries that on-site marijuana consumption isn't allowed unless it's by an employee.

Many of the specifics governing legalized medical marijuana under a plan Ohio legislators introduced this week would fall to a nine-person commission under the Ohio Department of Health.

Decriminalizing cannabis sales would strike a blow against Islamic State militants and Italian mobsters who, according to ongoing investigations, are smuggling hashish together, Italy's top prosecutor told Reuters.

The main smuggling route for North African hash - compressed cannabis resin - now runs from Casablanca, Morocco, through Algeria, Tunisia to Tobruk in eastern Libya, said national anti-mafia and anti-terrorism chief Franco Roberti. 

Along that route is the seaside city of Sirte, which now serves as a Mediterranean base for the most powerful Islamic State (IS) branch outside Syria and Iraq. 

Tony Machado is on good terms with his new neighbours — a pot dispensary that's opened two doors down from his supermarket in Little Portugal.

It’s even brought new clientele to the neighbourhood where Machado’s been doing business for 20 years. But, with another dispensary located one block east and yet another preparing to open soon across the street, he has concerns. 

But, politicians and bureaucrats say their hands are tied, and they can’t effectively manage the marijuana dispensary boom that’s hit Toronto since Justin Trudeau’s Liberals were elected.

Between the party’s promise to legalize marijuana and the time its taken them to do anything substantive on the file, Toronto has been left without options for managing the industry.

Senators in Washington are trying to once again allow veterans easier access to medical marijuana programs, now that 24 of the 50 US states have legalized medical marijuana. 

The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved an amendment aimed at allowing doctors employed by the Dept. of Veteran’s Affairs to recommend medical marijuana to their patients without worrying about punishment from the federal authorities.

It’s a small step in the continuing battle between state and federal marijuana laws. The bill ‘The 2017 Military Construction Appropriations Bill’ – sponsored by Senators Steve Daines and Jeff Merkley will make sure that no federal funs can be used to prosecute or punish physicians who want to discuss using cannabis with their patients.

The third annual Brantford 4/20 rally in support of the decriminalization of marijuana takes place at Victoria Park on Wednesday.

The rally, organized by the Brantford Cannabis Club, takes place from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. It will include speeches, vendors, live entertainment and prizes.

"It should be a very educational day in the park," said Calvin Reese, of the Brantford Cannabis Club.

"It (the rally) is aimed at pushing for the decriminalization of cannabis and to educate people about the plant. We do not condone the use of cannabis for minors at this event or ever unless directed by a medical professional."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau campaigned on a promise to legalize marijuana, but efforts to implement an effective medical system and reform marijuana laws in the country have not happened fast enough, says 27-year-old David Murphy, a farmer in Nova Scotia who uses cannabis to treat his brain cancer.

In a letter to Trudeau, Murphy described a recent raid against a dispensary that he happened to witness and called on the prime minister to clarify Canada's drug policy so that patients aren't left without medicine in the event that law enforcement authorities shut down legal dispensaries. Currently, medical marijuana is legal in Canada, but raids continue to affect dispensaries across the country, CBC News reports.

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has won the TIME 100 reader poll, topping not only his rival Hillary Clinton but also a host of world leaders and cultural figures for who TIME readers think should appear on our annual list of the most influential people in the world.

We began this week with two articles on the recent Lib Dem-commissioned expert panel report on cannabis regulation. First, we interviewed Professor Harry Sumnall to find out how regulation would affect public health. Second, we published Christopher Snowdon’s critique of the model (spoiler: he had some big issues with it). George Murkin of drug policy think tank Transform now offers his response, and he would like to correct Christopher on a few points…