B.C. has put in place its final rules around cannabis, paving the way for the legalization of marijuana next week.
The government set specific new orders on store licenses, fines, suspensions and places to consume cannabis, as part of six new or amended provincial regulations. The rules, which follow legislation passed this spring, set the stage for the federal government to legalize marijuana on Oct. 17.
“October 17 is coming and we know this is not the beginning and the end, but rather just the start of what will be an evolutionary process,” Solicitor General Mike Farnworth told reporters at the legislature late last week. Nonetheless, Farnworth said he worries about “consequences we haven’t thought of” and “issues that will spring up” once legalization occurs.
“Those are the kind of things that keep me awake at night,” he said.
“But we’ve got the legislation in place, we’ve got the framework in place, local government I think has done a terrific job in terms of getting themselves ready. We know it’s been a tight timeline, we know there‘s local government elections. This is the biggest public policy shift in this country in decades, so its exciting but it’s like anything that’s new, there is going to be some hiccups along the way and that’s just a fact of life.”
Rob Shaw – Vancouver Sun – October 10, 2018.
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