Port Coquitlam will add its voice to a province-wide consultation on the upcoming legalization of marijuana.
PoCo, which last year had recreational cannabis dispensaries before the city shut them down, is so far the only Tri-City council to make a formal comment.
Last month, B.C. Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth — also MLA for PoCo — invited local governments as well as police, health officials, farmers and First Nations representatives to make a submission on how the distribution and sale of pot would affect their jurisdictions. (The general public can also have its say by filling out a survey at engage.gov.bc.ca/bccannabisregulation.) Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 4 p.m. is the feedback deadline.
PoCo's draft letter is due to go before the city's finance and intergovernmental committee next Tuesday and spokesperson Pardeep Purewal said the letter will address PoCo's concerns around:
• public consumption;
• both personal and commercial cultivation and production;
• safety for commercial cultivation and production;
• distribution and retail models;
• revenue sharing;
• drug-impaired driving;
• and the minimum age for consumption.
Neither Coquitlam or Port Moody city councils has made a formal comment, although Coquitlam council members can take the survey on their own, city spokesperson Kathleen Vincent told The Tri-City News.
Canada will be the second country in the world to legalize recreational cannabis; Bill C-45 is due to take effect in July.
Still, provinces can make changes to the federal Cannabis Act, tailored to their own jurisdiction, by raising the minimum legal age of 18 for purchase and possession and setting more restrictions.
At last month's Union of BC Municipalities convention, delegates endorsed a special resolution to get municipalities at the table as the provincial ministry develops a regulatory framework around legalized weed.
It's expected Farnworth will introduce provincial legislation in time for the spring session of the legislature, in February.
