Pubdate: Sat, 02 Jan 2016
Source: Guardian, The (CN PI)
Copyright: 2016 The Guardian, Charlottetown Guardian Group Incorporated
Contact:  http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/174
Author: Teresa Wright
Page: A1

NO BUD FOR NOW

P.E.I. finance minister questioned on whether P.E.I. liquor stores
could sell marijuana once it is legal

P.E.I. Finance Minister Allen Roach says it's far too early to
contemplate selling marijuana in Prince Edward Island liquor stores.

"I'll be honest with you, marijuana being sold anywhere in P.E.I. is
not on my agenda right now," he told The Guardian.

"It's premature to say we're going to do it at the liquor stores or
through any other way of selling it."

Earlier this month, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne suggested the
federal government could use the Ontario liquor board as a marijuana
vendor if and when Ottawa legalizes sale of the drug in Canada. She is
not alone. Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger has also said provincial
liquor stores would be best suited to sell marijuana if legalization
occurs, and officials in British Columbia are actively pushing the
federal government to allow private liquor stores to sell the drug
once it becomes legal.

Prince Edward Island is taking a more wait-and-see
approach.

"At this point in time it's not yet legalized. I'm not sure what the
federal government's time frame and agenda is on that or how or when
they intend on rolling it out, but I'm sure that there's going to be a
lot of debate in Ottawa before we get to that point," Roach said.

As a former RCMP officer, Roach says he has long been a strong
proponent of decriminalizing marijuana. "I've seen enough over my
time, and I've spent a lot of time in drug enforcement, and I've
believed for many years that possession of marijuana, for those very
simple possession charges, should have been decriminalized," he said.

"We have a lot of people who have experimented with marijuana, they
have a very small quantity on them, they're trying it, it's curiosity.
And I felt that for someone to have, let's say, half a gram or a gram
of marijuana and for them to be charged and have a criminal record
because of that, I've always felt that wasn't perhaps necessary."

In the meantime, he says the province will watch what happens in
Ottawa and leave debate about how the drug would be legally
distributed and sold in P.E.I. until more definitive changes have been
made at the federal level.

"My own belief is that it's way out in front of us at this time=C2=85 I
think we'll have a lot of time in the interim to discuss how it's
going to be rolled out."
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MAP posted-by: Matt