Pubdate: Fri, 27 Nov 2015
Source: Metro (Toronto, CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Metro Canada
Contact:  http://www.metronews.ca/toronto
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3462
Author: Luke Simcoe

CHANGING COURSE ON POT

Restaurant Industry Happy With Province's Policy U-Turn

Many in Toronto's restaurant industry are exhaling a sigh of relief 
after the province announced plans to revisit its stance on public 
medical marijuana use.

Associate Health Minister Dipika Damerla said Wednesday medical 
marijuana users would be free to light up or vaporize in areas where 
smoking is prohibited, ranging from offices to restaurants and parks. 
However, 24 hours later, the province reversed course.

"We've heard about the concerns around this regulation and we're 
going to take this feedback and see if this regulation is the best 
way to move forward," Damerla said Thursday.

The minister said the province will take a "hard look" at the policy 
and promised further consultation with stakeholders.

"We're happy the government made this decision, it's what should have 
been done in the first place," said James Riett, Ontario's 
vice-president for Restaurants Canada.

The industry association represents 30,000 restaurants across the 
country, most of them in Ontario. Riett said the government's 
Wednesday announcement came as a surprise.

In the announcement, Damerla said employers would be allowed to 
prohibit marijuana smoking on their premises, but Riett said that 
just creates other problems.

"Our biggest concern is around staffing. How do you get staff to ... 
ask someone not to take their medicine?" he said. "If you don't allow 
it and staff are forced to explain, that could upset someone and lead 
to possible complaints."

Toronto labour lawyer Howard Levitt said any workplace - whether a 
restaurant or an office - that allows people to use medical marijuana 
on-site could open themselves up to legal challenges from other 
employees concerned about exposure to second-hand smoke.

Ontario banned smoking in public places and workplaces in 2006, and 
Riett called the originally proposed marijuana law "backtracking."

"One of the reasons we were OK with the government moving to ban 
vaping was that we didn't want to reopen the conversation about 
smoking. It was a difficult situation and our members had to change 
how they do business, but it's done with and they've adjusted," he said.

- - with files from Torstar news service
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom