Pubdate: Mon, 21 Dec 2015
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network
Contact:  http://www.calgaryherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Author: James Wood
Page: A1

PREMIER WARY OF POT PLAN

Notley Waiting to See How Federal Liberals Proceed on Legalizing Marijuana

Premier Rachel Notley says she has mixed feelings about the Trudeau 
government's pledge to legalize marijuana even as a federal Liberal 
cabinet minister says action is coming soon on the campaign promise.

While some premiers are already musing about the best mechanism for 
legally selling pot, Notley said in an interview she's waiting to see 
how the federal government proceeds on legalization before responding.

"There are arguments on either side that are compelling," the NDP 
premier told the Herald last week.

"You know, there's sort of the comparison of marijuana to alcohol. 
But there's also the issue of the impact that it has on young people 
and its contribution to addictive behaviour and all that stuff."

Notley declined to give a personal opinion on legalization and said 
she hasn't had a chance to weigh the pros and cons of various policy options.

Justin Trudeau's Liberals campaigned during this fall's federal 
election on a pledge to legalize pot.

In the prime minister's mandate letter to his new justice minister 
following the Liberal victory on Oct. 19, Trudeau directed Jody 
Wilson- Raybould to work with the federal health and public safety 
ministers "to create a federal-provincial-territorial process that 
will lead to the legalization and regulation of marijuana." Kent 
Hehr, Calgary Centre MP and veterans affairs minister in Trudeau's 
cabinet, said the Liberal government intends to move "relatively 
quickly" on the file.

He said the majority of people he's heard from are in favour of the 
move, but the Calgary lawyer acknowledges some concerns have been 
raised by Albertans about the pledge.

"They're mostly worried about kids and access to marijuana. Well, 
legalizing it ensures that it's more difficult to get," Hehr said.

"Legalizing it makes it a regulated product, make it controlled, gets 
criminals out of the business ... and as an added bonus, the 
government can raise a little revenue," he added.

"We're going to be working on this aggressively."

Trudeau recently said he did not expect legal marijuana to bring in a 
significant amount of revenue and suggested most tax dollars 
collected should go to addiction and support programs.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said last week that it would make 
sense for the province's government-run liquor stores to sell 
marijuana if the federal Liberals move ahead with legalization.

In Alberta, both the finance ministry and the Alberta Liquor and 
Gaming Authority say they are not developing any plans around 
taxation or regulation of legal marijuana.

NDP Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley said the Alberta government is 
waiting for the federal government to make the first move on legalization.

She said there will undoubtedly be an impact on areas of provincial 
jurisdiction, but there are no preparations taking place at the moment.

"We don't know for sure how or when they're going to deal with that," 
said Ganley.

"Our hope would be that if they are going to make a change like that, 
that they're going to give us enough lead time that any regulations 
we need to develop will be able to be developed."

University of Calgary law professor Michael Nesbitt said legalizing 
marijuana is likely to be "very complicated."

Nesbitt said Ottawa could choose to keep marijuana regulated under 
the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, but make exemptions 
allowing actions such as small-scale possession.

It's more likely the federal government will take a broader - and 
more intricate - approach to legalization that will require 
significant consultations with the provinces and multiple federal 
agencies, he said.

"My guess is that some of the provinces are not going to like this 
because they're not going to like going through the process - and 
they're not going to want to come to one agreement with all the other 
provinces about how it should be done," said Nesbitt.

"Having said that, a big point of interest for them, obviously, will 
be tax revenue."

Marijuana legalization is not the only hot-button issue where 
Alberta's NDP government is keeping their powder dry as it waits for 
the federal government to act.

Notley said Alberta will not follow Quebec's lead in bringing in its 
own legislation around physician-assisted death.

The Supreme Court ruled last February that patients with severe and 
intolerable pain have a right to end their life with the assistance 
of a doctor.

The Liberal government is currently asking for an extension on the 
12-month time period the court gave Ottawa to develop legislation.

"What we need to do going forward is take a very careful approach, 
which acknowledges the intensity of the feelings on the issue on 
either side, take our guidance from the federal government and then 
move forward," said Notley.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom