Pubdate: Mon, 21 Dec 2015
Source: Guelph Mercury (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Metroland Media Group Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.guelphmercury.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1418
Author: Keith Leslie
Page: A5

PREMIER WANTS CLEAR RULES ON DISTRIBUTION, SALE OF POT

TORONTO - Ontario is looking for federal government guidance on 
regulating clinics that sell medical marijuana and on how pot should 
be sold for recreational use once it's legalized.

The federal Liberals promised in this month's throne speech to 
"legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana" to keep it out 
of the hands of children while also denying criminals the financial profits.

The new government plans to remove possession of small amounts of 
marijuana from the Criminal Code and create new laws to more severely 
punish those who provide it to minors or drive while under its influence.

Premier Kathleen Wynne says there hasn't been enough discussion about 
the distinctions between medicinal and recreational marijuana, which 
is one reason she suggested Ontario's government-run liquor stores 
would be well-suited to retailing legalized pot.

"The reason I put forward the LCBO as the possible distribution 
network is that I want to make it clear that I see the need for a 
socially responsible approach to this," Wynne told The Canadian Press 
in a year-end interview.

"I think that this needs to be a controlled substance - and I don't 
use that in a technical way - but there need to be controls on it, 
and so I will be looking to the federal government to work with us to 
determine what those controls need to be."

There are dozens of clinics or dispensaries springing up in cities 
across Canada that sell medicinal marijuana - mainly in Ontario, 
Alberta and British Columbia - and there are referral-only clinics 
staffed with doctors who assess patients but don't sell pot. They 
give patients a prescription to take to a licensed marijuana producer.

Canada needs national standards and regulations for the marijuana 
clinics, said Wynne.

"Not all marijuana is going to be medicinal, so we've got to make 
distinctions between a clinic that is providing medicinal marijuana 
and what the recreational distribution is going to be," she said. "I 
just don't think we're there yet."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to create a task force with 
representatives from the three levels of government and, with input 
from experts in public health, substance abuse and policing, to help 
design a new system of marijuana sales and distribution.

Trudeau stressed the importance of listening to municipal partners, 
provinces and the medical marijuana industry, as well as drawing on 
best practices from around the world.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom