Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the federal Liberals have come out with proposed legislation to implement their campaign promise to regulate and stricly restrict access to cannabis in Canada.

The legislation was introduced on Thursday after, what the government says was, "extensive consultation with law enforcement, health and safety experts, and the hard work of the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation."  

The legislation leaves a lot of the responsibility to the provinces, including decisions on where cannabis can be sold, and where it can be consumed.  Alberta's Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Kathleen Ganley says the province has a lot of questions, but it also has three priorities for cannabis regulation.

"Our government is focused on keeping cannabis out of the hands of children, keeping profits away from criminals, and protecting Alberta's roads, workplaces and public spaces."

Ganley says once they've had the opportunity to review the federal legislation they plan to reach out to Albertans to make sure their views are reflected.  That includes minimum age restrictions.  "The federal government has proposed 18 as the national minimum age for marijuana use, but provinces may set their age higher.  This will be something we raise as part of the engagement process we'll be launching."

Ganley says they'll work closely with municipalities who'll need to make decisions on zoning and locations of retail shops.   

The Liberals want to have the legilsation in effect no later than July, 2018, leaving just over a year for the province to consult with Albertans and have their plans in place.  Ganley thinks the timeline is ambitious but at the end of the day the stakes are the health and safety of Albertans.

Ganley says they haven't fully reviewed the legislation which she calls, quite hefty.  "It isn't entirely clear who will regulate what pieces entirely."

Distribuion will ultimately fall to the provinces.  "We haven't made final decision on who will do that distribution.  Albertans and municipalities will have an interest on where those stores will go and municipalites will have an interest in zoning laws and where those retail locations are allowed to be."

Ganley says consultations with Albertans are targetted to start this summer,  

 

 
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