Are you ready for legal pot in 2018?
Many details are sketchy about how marijuana will be distributed once it is approved by the federal government for recreational use this summer.
But one thing is certain — changing pot laws will dominate the political agendas of all levels of government.
Last week, Liberal MP Bill Blair was in Port Coquitlam making assurances that municipal governments would get 25% of the federal government’s 50% share of revenue to deal with policing and other costs. The provinces meanwhile will get 50% of every $1 of excise tax and Blair also said new screening devices will be available to deal with impaired driving.
While many of the pot plans are still being worked out, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth, who is also a Port Coquitlam MLA, said the minimum legal age to possess purchase and consume cannabis will be 19 years old.
As well, he stated that recreational marijuana will be distributed through the BC Liquor Distribution Branch but the retail model will include both public and private retail opportunities.
Farnworth said more details of how this would work would be shared in the new year.
Meanwhile, Tri-City municipalities are taking a closer look at how the legalization of marijuana will affect them. Municipal staff in Coquitlam will begin looking into the issue after council decided to move the creation of a regulatory framework for cannabis sales to a B priority in its 2018 business plan.
PoCo, meanwhile sent a letter to Farnworth detailing concerns about public consumption, personal and commercial cultivation and production, among other things.
More details about how legal pot will roll out are expected in the coming months.
