Pubdate: Fri, 24 Jun 2016
Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)
Page: A8
Copyright: 2016 The Toronto Star
Contact:  http://www.thestar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456
Author: Robert Benzie

UNDERAGE ACCESS TO MARIJUANA A CONCERN

Clearer Delineation Between Medicinal and Recreational Use Needed, Premier Says

Talk about a joint effort.

There are bureaucrats from a dozen provincial departments working on 
an exhaustive cannabis strategy that will examine the impact of 
legalized recreational marijuana.

As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government prepares to change 
federal laws next year, officials at Queen's Park are looking at 
everything from the effects on health and road safety to justice 
issues and fiscal implications.

Public servants from the Ministries of Health, Education, Finance, 
Transportation, the Attorney General, Community Safety and 
Correctional Services, Municipal Affairs, Children and Youth 
Services, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Community and 
Social Services, the Treasury Board secretariat, and the cabinet 
office are involved in the effort.

Premier Kathleen Wynne emphasized Thursday that regulating the drug 
and limiting access for children and teenagers is a key concern no 
matter what the forthcoming federal legislation looks like.

"I want there to be a controlling protocol in place. I think it is 
important in the same way that in Ontario we have controls on 
alcohol," Wynne told CBC Radio's Metro Morning.

"We need to have some regulation of recreational marijuana. What I'm 
concerned about right now is that there hasn't been a clear 
delineation between recreational and medicinal marijuana," she said.

While such marijuana is legal for those who have a prescription from 
a medical doctor, the storefront "dispensaries" sprouting up across 
Toronto are illegal.

Wynne said the lack of legislative clarity from Ottawa has allowed 
the weed outlets to thrive to the point that there are more than 100 
in the city even with the police cracking down.

"I think that's why we are seeing these shops put up. Right now the 
only mechanism to deal with those is municipal bylaws. We need that 
federal framework in order to be able to put a regulatory regime in 
place," she said.

"It's true that within our government we are looking at - once the 
federal framework is in place - what would we be prepared to do as a 
province in terms of regulating marijuana."

"I only put the LCBO forward as a possibility because it already 
exists, because we understand how it could regulate the substance," she said.

"But if there's a better suggestion, we're open to that."

Wynne insisted that government control of recreational cannabis is 
not about ensuring the proceeds go into provincial coffers.

"For me that's really not the point; the point is how do we make sure 
that we know what is in this substance once it is legalized and how 
do we control access, for young people particularly, who shouldn't 
have access to it."

Liberal MP Bill Blair (Scarborough Southwest) is Trudeau's point man 
on updating Canada's marijuana laws.

Blair, a former Toronto police chief, has expressed concern about the 
illegal dispensaries and points out that the LCBO has long been 
effective at preventing underage Ontarians from getting alcohol.

LCBO officials have said they are closely monitoring developments in 
Ottawa and at Queen's Park and await direction from the province on 
what role the corporation will play in cannabis retailing or wholesaling.

Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president of the Ontario Public Service 
Employees Union that represents LCBO workers, has said it makes sense 
to utilize the provincial agency's trained employees and secure 
warehouses to ensure marijuana is safely dispensed.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom