Pallister worried about road safety when pot is legal
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/04/2018 (2170 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
BRANDON — On the eve of April 20 — or 4-20, a day of celebration for cannabis enthusiasts — Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister offered his latest insights on the pending legalization of the drug for recreational use.
During his state of the province address at the Keystone Centre, the premier introduced this year’s anticipated legalization as “a challenge.”
“We do think it should be postponed for a year, to give more time for the many challenges we face — not least of all, my concern is for road safety and the impact for, young men in particular, who think that they drive better stoned, and they don’t,” he told the crowd attending the Brandon Chamber of Commerce event.
Even so, the federal government has stated marijuana would be legalized some time this year, he said, adding the province is going to prepare accordingly — and would step aside where it should to let the private sector lead the way.
On that front, Pallister took note of comments Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne made last month, which were critical of the private sector taking over the sale of recreational cannabis.
“When (is) the last time you went out for dinner in a government cafeteria?” Pallister asked, adding the private sector, aided by the provincial government’s bulk purchasing of product, would be better able to provide service at a low cost than a government-run operation could.
Between a post-address media scrum and a morning editorial board meeting with the Brandon Sun, Pallister shared a few more cannabis-related details including, in addition to 16 retail outlets announced for Winnipeg, approximately 26 are slated for the province’s rural areas during the initial roll out of locations.
Although the Association of Manitoba Municipalities recently promoted a Probe Research poll that said 59 per cent of respondents believe at least half of cannabis tax proceeds should go to municipalities, Pallister dismissed the notion.
“That’s not going to happen,” he said.
Even the 33 per cent the AMM is currently advocating for did not appear in reach, with Pallister stating approximately 80 per cent of the costs borne by recreational cannabis’s legalization would come down to the province.
While he said some upfront costs would increase, such as the purchase of equipment for police to measure a driver’s intoxication level and initial police training costs, Pallister said one of his main priorities moving forward would be in education.
“What really concerns me, quite frankly, after the initial phase, is in another year there are going to be edibles and oils, and they’ll be on the market and a lot of people don’t use them now,” he said.
Edibles and oils affect people differently than when people ingest cannabis by smoking or vaporizing it, and take longer to run their course.
— Brandon Sun
History
Updated on Friday, April 20, 2018 6:32 AM CDT: Photo added.