Pubdate: Thu, 06 Oct 2016
Source: Calgary Sun, The (CN AB)
Copyright: 2016 The Calgary Sun
Contact: http://www.calgarysun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.calgarysun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/67
Author: Trevor Howell
Page: 3

CITY HAS HIGH EXPECTATIONS

Wants feds to share tax revenues from sale of legalized
marijuana

Hand over a share of the tax revenue and give up the addresses of
medical marijuana grow ops.

Those are among the requests City of Calgary officials have for Ottawa
along with a zero-tolerance policy for drivers under the influence of
cannabis as the feds hammer out legislation for legalized pot.

In an Aug. 24 submission to the federal government's Task Force
Marijuana Legalization and Regulation, City Manager Jeff Fielding
calls for ongoing discussions "throughout the legalization process to
ensure clear delineation of roles and expectations" between the three
orders of government.

"Municipalities will be an important partner in developing,
implementing and enforcing new regulations in this area," Fielding
wrote.

The four-page document outlines concerns held by the Calgary police
and various city departments on the implications of legalizing pot.

The Trudeau government announced April 20 it would introduce pot
legalization legislation in the spring of 2017.

Calgary's submission identifies several general areas of concern -
including land use and business licensing, building and fire code
compliance, community standards, enforcement and community safety -
but notes officials won't fully understand the impact until the
legislation is introduced next year.

"We follow very closely what the federal government is moving forward
on and, as things evolve ... we're going to stay aligned with it and
create the uses as they are permitted federally," said Wayne Brown,
co-ordinator for the City of Calgary's safety response unit.

The city wants Ottawa to provide a portion of potential taxes or
revenues from marijuana sales to offset the cost of educational
initiatives, addiction services and "other programs to address the
social issues that may arise with legalization," according to
Calgary's submission.

Health Canada has estimated revenue from medical marijuana will hit
$1.3 billion with 450,000 patients by 2024. Analysts have pegged the
medical market as high as $3 billion with 800,000 patients and
recreational sales reaching $5 billion by 2024.

"We're not looking for taxing (power), we're looking for money that
they're collecting to rebate us for the additional costs," said Coun.
Ward Sutherland, vice-chair of the city's priorities and finance committee.

Authorities remain concerned about the lack of technology available to
police to test THC levels in drivers, making enforcement difficult,
and suggest a zero-tolerance policy until "technological advancements
are made."

The city has also renewed its call for the federal government to
provide more information on legal, residential medical marijuana
grow-ops. Health Canada has long maintained releasing that information
would be a violation of people's privacy.
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MAP posted-by: Matt