COV E R STO RY
seen from the States do not allow for
consumption in public places; you can’t
walk through a park or along a city side-
walk smoking marijuana,” he says.
In some cases, marijuana rules can be
based on the framework of regulations
that exist for the sales and consumption
of tobacco, alcohol and food. “There’s a
loophole the province may be closing
with the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, which
I think at the moment may not apply
to anything other than tobacco,” says
Tracey Cook, executive director, munic-
ipal licensing and standards for the City
of Toronto, who points out that poten-
tial amendments are being considered,
but “what they’re going to do has not
been finalized.”
Numerous social issues and implica-
tions for public health and safety will
also arise. The proposed act mentions
provisions against advertising that
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affects minors, so municipalities may
need to specify what types of signage
will be permitted. Cook notes that fire
officials are already being consulted in
Toronto, “especially when some of the
discussion is around people growing at
home. Many cities have had the issues
of grow-ops; last year, we had a dispen-
sary explode. You need appropriate fire
protection if people are trying to manu-
facture or extract oils.” (The Cannabis
Act forbids the use of “dangerous
organic solvents” in making cannabis
products at home).
Another component is public educa-
tion about the new act and the health
risks of using marijuana. In its 2017
budget, the federal government com-
mitted $9.6 million over five years to a
comprehensive public education cam-
paign and surveillance activities, and it
has announced that additional resources
will be made available for enforcement
and public awareness about driving
under the influence of cannabis.
So far, there have been no announce-
ments concerning potential taxation or
revenue sharing. “It is anticipated that
this industry will generate a certain
amount of revenue, but a significant
proportion of costs are going to be
borne by municipalities,” says Turner. “If
there’s going to be a financial impact for
municipalities, we’re hoping that there’s
going to be some sort of revenue stream
to help offset these costs.”
Meanwhile, municipalities that
haven’t begun to address this area will
need to get started, because the July
2018 deadline allows little time for delib-
eration. “The approach we’ve taken is to
identify an interdivisional multi-stake-
holder team,” says Turner. “Someone’s
got to lead it; we have started from a