Ottawa's plans for cannabis legalization may be slowed by provinces
Other contentious aspects of legalization included how much people should be allowed to possess, whether edibles should be sold and how to tackle drug-impaired driving
Monday, March 27, 2017
Ottawa’s plan to legalize marijuana by next year could hit serious roadblocks across the country, as provinces and territories are expected to have different approaches to solving complicated policy issues such as where to sell cannabis and how much to tax the drug. The government expects to roll out legislation before April 20 and that the recreational use of the drug would be legalized by July 1, 2018. But the federal government has indicated that it will leave the contentious issues of regulating the wholesale distribution and retailing of cannabis up to the provinces and territories, a move that could make next year’s target seem too ambitious for some jurisdictions, according to several industry insiders and academics.