People age 18 and up should be allowed to legally buy marijuana through storefronts and mail-order but probably not in the same locations where alcohol and tobacco are sold, a federal task force is recommending.
Vancouver Island’s cannabis industry is welcoming recommendations from the task force for legalization of marijuana, but the B.C. government is urging Ottawa to proceed with caution.
The task force, headed by former federal Liberal cabinet minister Anne McLellan, recommends allowing dedicated places such as lounges for the consumption of cannabis products, and calls for restrictions on public smoking of tobacco products to extend to cannabis.
The proposed regulations were, for the most part, lauded by former Victoria city councillor Philippe Lucas, now vice-president patient services and research for Tilray, a producer of medical marijuana in Nanaimo.
Marijuana production should be regulated by the federal government by issuing licences, similar to the system used for medical marijuana, the task force report said.
Lucas said he’s pleased to see the task force wants quality control maintained. “Consumers want to know how their food is grown, they want to know how their cannabis is produced and they want to be assured that there’s quality and safety standards in place, and that there’s proper labelling in place.”
Lucas said he “strongly agreed” with the recommendation to separate alcohol and marijuana sales. “We don’t encourage the co-mingling of use of these products,” he said.
However, he said he disagreed with the recommendation that all marijuana products should be in “plain packaging” listing only the company name, strain name, price, potency and warnings. “We really think that branding will help differentiate high-quality products from low-quality products available through the legal system and it provides a better ability to educate consumers.”
The B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union continues to advocate for the sale of non-medical marijuana through the province’s liquor distribution and retail system. Union president Stephanie Smith said government liquor stores are already an age-controlled environment and staff have a proven track record of checking identification.
Smith said regulating the sale of marijuana will likely fall to the provinces, as is the case with alcohol. “Setting up a completely new parallel system would be incredibly burdensome.”
Mike Morris, minister of public safety and solicitor general, said his ministry will review the 80 recommendations through a “public health and safety lens.”
“Our foremost concerns are about keeping cannabis out of the hands of children and youth, curbing drug-impaired driving and addressing any implications that legalization may have for our continued efforts to end gun and gang violence on our streets, which is largely driven by the illicit drug trade,” Morris said in a statement.
The report said production needs to be monitored with a “seed-to-sale tracking system” to prevent diversions to the black market.
It recommends more study to determine links between THC levels and traffic crashes while developing a national education strategy to stress that cannabis consumption causes impairment. The task force also recommends government support for development of a roadside drug screening device.
Morris said the “report acknowledges that the road to sound public policy and a responsible regulatory framework will be long and is best approached with caution.”
The endorsement of cannabis lounges was exciting news for Ashley Abraham, owner of Victoria’s Green Ceiling, which offers space for pot consumption for $5 an hour.
“It seems they’re recognizing the need for consumption spaces,” Abraham said. “They’re not wanting to mix it with alcohol which is really great for me because that’s been my standpoint, that this is an alternative to the bar scene.”
Green Ceiling has been fined seven times for allowing consumption on site, contrary to the City of Victoria’s regulations for cannabis retailers.
Abraham is disputing the fines and hopes that if the recommendations are adopted by the federal government in the spring, the city will change its bylaws.
Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said once the province takes over regulation of marijuana distribution, the city will likely scrap its cannabis bylaws. “That way we’ll have a comprehensive approach across the province, not one jurisdiction to one jurisdiction,” Helps said. “Our regulations were meant to fill a vacuum. We were waiting for the federal government to show leadership.”
Trees Dispensary community liaison Alex Robb said he was impressed with the report and hopes the federal government follows through with the recommendations. “I think it’s a very rational approach. I think it’s what many in the medical cannabis community as well as the community of cannabis users would like to see,” Robb said.
Even though the report recommends production of marijuana for recreational purposes follow the system in use for medical marijuana, it urges the federal government to eventually allow “craft” and outdoor production under strict security.
Robb said opening the door to smaller craft producers makes sense and “is a nod to the British Columbia cannabis industry.”
“Ultimately, it’s the same product. People who want it recreationally, they want the same quality as people who want it medically,” Robb said.
— With The Canadian Press
City of Victoria pot bylaws
City of Victoria staff say 24 of the estimated 39 marijuana-related businesses in the city have applied for rezoning.
Under city policies, business licences will not be issued until rezoning has been approved. In the interim, a cannabis retailer may operate while taking steps toward rezoning, but is expected to come into compliance with business licensing requirements, which include: no cannabis consumption on premises, operating hours restricted between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., and a maximum of two display signs without images.
Marijuana retailers are also expected to meet strict security and ventilation requirements. No one younger than 19 is permitted on site.
A city spokesperson says the focus has been on gaining compliance from the dispensaries since the regulations came into effect. All have received letters advising them of the regulations and how they will be enforced.
Eight tickets have been have been issued, including seven for consumption on premises — all to Green Ceiling — and one for operating outside of permitted hours.
— Bill Cleverley
