By Tyler Marr

Mayor mixed on potential of private pot sales

Nov 20, 2017 | 2:00 PM

As Saskatchewan’s Justice Minister hints at a lean towards a private marijuana sales model in the province, Mayor Greg Dionne is worried this will cause more problems then it will solve.

Late last week, Don Morgan confirmed the province does not “want to be in the ownership or marketing” of marijuana when it becomes legal July 1, rather the province wants to focus on “a competent, well-run, regulatory scheme.”

“We don’t want to market it or warehouse it,” Morgan said Thursday when asked on topic. 

The provincial government is in the midst of preparing legislation to introduce in the legislature before the end of the fall session on Dec. 7, but the particulars are still unclear. 

A recent study by the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy in Saskatoon, made 40 recommendations on how the legalization of marijuana should be dealt with in Saskatchewan.

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It included items such private sales, in part to initially keep taxes low to compete with the illicit market and to make the age limit 19. The report also suggested upwards of $250 million could be injected into the province’s economy if cannabis were priced at $10 per gram.

Asked his thoughts on this, Mayor Greg Dionne said he was “surprised” a private model was on the weigh scale.

“Why make a new structure?” he asked. “All the other provinces are looking at their liquor board model. You already got that structure. Every little town has a liquor board store, so why change the model.”

Dionne fears private sales will be more difficult to control.

Provinces to the east and west have already rolled out legal cannabis regulation regimes. Alberta has introduced legislation that will see a public/private sales model. Manitoba and Ontario are both looking to use the current liquor control boards in place to distribute the product.

Dionne is joined by other provincial agencies like the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) and the province’s child advocates, in looking at Regina and asking when stakeholders should expect legislation.

Earlier this year, the mayor said he would like to see pot revenue shared with municipalities to cover roll-out costs, an idea echoed by his colleagues Charlie Clark in Saskatoon and Regina’s Michael Fougere.

This came after Premier Brad Wall said pot revenues should be spent on education and preventing drug-impaired driving.

Dionne continued on this point, saying, “whoever makes the money should pay the expense. That is just a common sense approach.” 

The topic of legalization lit up discussion during city hall budget committee talks. As Police Chief Troy Cooper pitched his services budget, Coun. Blake Edwards asked if his force was ready.

Cooper responded with a hard “no,” explaining how “we are not ready because we have no idea what to expect. We couldn’t budget for what we didn’t know.”

The Prince Albert Police Service is one of the many law enforcement agencies who has lobbied the federal government to push the July 1 deadline back, believing not enough time was given to prepare.

Training, according to Cooper, will run the highest tab, alongside the time needed to work with the city to plan zoning laws and sending officers to the United States to train and become experts in dealing with impaired driving.

— With files from CJME, The Canadian Press

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr