Bill: Proposed Soft Spice Commercialization Act

[Robidemon2]

Sponsor: Robi Safran D'Azalea
Type: Act of Parliament

A
BILL
TO
ADDRESS SOFT SPICES
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Preamble: Parliament does not legalize spices, and does not intend to. Parliament does, however, notice that a few small distributors sell them, and would prefer that the Ministry of Justice spend its time finding out where the stock comes from rather than arresting the person behind the counter. Parliament further notices that being left alone is valuable, and sees no reason the shops should get it for free.

1. Short Title & Enactment

(a) This bill shall be referred to as the "Coffee Shop Tolerance Act".​

(b) This Act comes into force immediately upon passage.​

2. Definitions

(a) "Coffee Shop" shall be defined as a business registered with the Ministry of Economic Affairs that holds a Tolerance License.​

(b) "Tolerance License" shall be defined as a license won at auction under Section 3 and issued by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, naming one plot.​

(c) "Soft Spice" shall be defined as any one of the following spices, as listed in Section 2(a) of the Spice Regulation Reform Act:​

(i) Dew Drop​

(ii) Glassmint​

(iii) Hushroot​

(iv) Vegisan​

(v) Emberbloom​

(vi) Pluto Stick​

(d) "Hard Spice" shall be defined as any spice that is not a Soft Spice.​

3. Tolerance Licenses and Auctions

(a) A Tolerance License is a purchased promise that the MOJ will not charge the shop for the conduct listed in Section 4(a)​

(b) The MEA shall auction Tolerance Licenses.​

(i) No more than 3 Tolerance Licenses may be auctioned in any Term.​

(ii) Each auction shall be posted by the MEA with at least 48 hours notice, and shall run for 48 hours.​

(iii) The highest bid wins. Bids shall be made in the auction thread and paid to the national government on winning.​

(iv) The MEA shall set a minimum bid. The minimum bid may not be lower than $5,000.​

(v) The winner must be a business registered with the MEA, and must name one plot it owns or rents to be covered by the license.​

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(d) A Tolerance License:​

(i) lasts until the end of the Term in which it was won;​

(ii) may not be sold, transferred, or used on any plot other than the one named;​

(iii) may be withdrawn by the MOJ Minister or Deputy Minister for breaking Section 4(b), or for any other offense under Section 10 of the New Criminal Code Act, in which case the winning bid is not refunded; and​

(iv) may be withdrawn by the MOJ Minister or Deputy Minister for any other reason, in which case the MEA shall refund the winning bid in proportion to the time left in the Term.​

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4. General Guidance

(a) A Coffee Shop and its staff shall not be charged under Section 10 of the New Criminal Code Act for:​

(b) The following are never tolerated, and remain fully punishable:​

(i) any Hard Spice, in any amount;​

(ii) any amount over the limits in Section 4(a);​

(iii)any sale or consumption off the named plot;​

(iv) advertising spices outside the plot, including through holograms, signs, chat announcements, or billboards; and​

(v) the production, transport, or wholesale distribution of any spice, including to a Coffee Shop.​

(c) The Parliament recognizes that Section 4(b)(vi) means the shops are tolerated while their suppliers are not. This is intentional.​

5.Amendments

(a) Section 10(a)(iii)(1) of the New Criminal Code Act shall be amended as follows:​

(1) distributes, or offers to distribute in any way, an item that is prohibited by law, except when such person is:​

(A) a Ministry of Health-authorized spice supplier distributing or offering to distribute spices for use in MOH-created medical cures or treatments;​

(B) a government official or employee authorized to distribute such item pursuant to Sections 3(c-d) of the Prohibited Items Designation Act, when distributing and/or offering to distribute pursuant to the exceptions in that act; or​

(C) a government official or employee authorized under the Spice Regulation Reform Act to distribute such item and/or offer to distribute such item, when distributing and/or offering to distribute pursuant to the exceptions in that act; or.​

(D) a Coffee Shop or its staff, selling Soft Spices within the limits and conditions of Section 4(a) of the Coffee Shop Tolerance Act.​

(b) Section 8(b)(iii)(1) of the New Criminal Code Act shall be amended as follows:​

(1) exhibits abnormal physical or visual effects that are reasonably attributable to the usage or influence of a prohibited item as defined in the Prohibited Items Designation Act, except while on the plot named in a Coffee Shop's Tolerance License and where the effects are attributable to a Soft Spice..​

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Enactment: This Act comes into force immediately upon passage.