Pubdate: Thu, 21 Apr 2016 Source: Metro (Edmonton, CN AB) Page: 6 Copyright: 2016 Metro Canada Contact: http://www.metronews.ca/Edmonton Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4475 ACTIVISTS WELCOME LEGALIZATION OF POT The annual pot-themed gathering at the legislature had a festive vibe Wednesday, after signals on the same day from the federal government that pot could be legal as soon as next spring. Keith Fagin, head of 420 Alberta, described the government's announcement timing as "tongue in cheek," as it coincided with 420, the annual day of celebration for lovers of cannabis culture. "We're quite excited about it, we've been cautiously optimistic," Fagin said, noting that several normally politically-neutral marijuana advocacy groups threw their weight behind the Liberal campaign last year, after Trudeau made legalization a campaign promise. He said there is much to be decided, pointing out that medical marijuana needs to be tightly regulated to make sure patients are getting a consistent product, but recreational use doesn't have to be as controlled. "We shouldn't hyper-regulate and hyper-tax because then you're still going to have the black market." Still, he said, it'll be important to make sure that whoever ends up selling pot - he favours dispensaries over other options like liquor stores - know what they're doing. "If you've got specialty stores, they have to have people who are [aged] 18 plus, and they know stuff about their products," he said. "We need it to be properly tested, clean tested and we need knowledgeable people selling it." - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D