Pubdate: Mon, 31 Oct 2016
Source: Calgary Sun, The (CN AB)
Copyright: 2016 The Calgary Sun
Contact: http://www.calgarysun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.calgarysun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/67
Author: Damien Wood
Page: 4

LEGALIZING WEED A JOINT AFFAIR, CITY TELLS FEDS

Legal weed is coming, and the city wants to keep its voice in the
federal government's ear rather than see its chance to be part of the
conversation go up in smoke.

As the feds inch closer toward a spring 2017 timeline to unveil
legislation on the legalization of marijuana, city administration will
offer up a proposed advocacy position to the intergovernmental affairs
committee at their meeting Thursday.

"Administration is seeking to further refine an advocacy position on a
number of key themes relating to legalization, regulation and
restriction of access to marijuana," the report reads, in part.

"While the implementation of a regulated system must include
collaboration with provincial and federal governments, the city wants
to preserve existing municipal authority. city administration and
Federation of Canadian Municipalities continue to request regular
consultation as the specific legislation and regulatory regime take
shape.

"Administration recommends additional advocacy efforts focus on …
engaging municipalities, the authority of orders of government,
prohibiting or restricting residential growing, sharing federal tax
revenue and giving municipalities time to develop and implement
necessary local regulations."

City councillor and committee member Gian-carlo Carra said it's an
important conversation to be part of - the city knows legal weed is
coming but doesn't yet now how that's going to roll out or what the
timeline will be when it does.

Whatever it looks like, he said, it comes with cost to the city, and
he knows where he'd like to see compensation come from.

"The feds and potentially the province stand to make quite a bit of
money on this from tax revenues," he said.

"The enforcement and the day-to-day issues potentially associated with
this … is going to fall onto municipal shoulders, as so many things
do.

"If there's a possibility to share in some of the tax benefits … it
has massive impact."

Enforcement is on the mind of councillor and Calgary Police commission
member Ward Sutherland, too.

"We don't have the (detection) technology at this point when it comes
to consuming marijuana and driving," he said.

"The federal government really needs to … think this out - pitch in to
(an educational campaign)."

Former police officer and current coun. Sean Chu said he likewise
wants to the see the time, effort and resources put into good law so
that kids are kept away from marijuana, legal or otherwise - at least
as much as they can be.

"It's more than just, 'Hey let's make this legal.' you have to think
it through," he said.

"Unfortunately it looks like we're not going to get
that.

"What is going to happen is, as a city, we have to scramble to do all
the background work and make everything okay.

"I think that no matter what there's going to be hiccups. there's
going to be some issues enforcing this."
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MAP posted-by: Matt