Pubdate: Fri, 16 Jun 2017
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.ottawacitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Jacquie Miller
Page: A1

PROVINCE'S POT STRATEGY WRAPPED IN PLATITUDES

Legislation is only a year away, but public not yet being consulted

Several provinces are plowing full-steam ahead with plans to ask the
public how they should manage the introduction of legal recreational
pot in Canada. But Ontario, it seems, isn't one of them.

Or, if there are plans, the province's "Legalization of Cannabis
Secretariat" is not ready to share them yet. Secretariat officials
have been holding private meetings and promise to "engage with the
public" later.

The lack of information is surprising, says Jeffrey Lizotte, the CEO
of NextWave Brands, a cannabis lobbying and consulting firm.

Ontario is the country's most populous province, and the epicentre of
the legal cannabis industry, he notes. More than half of the Health
Canada licensed grow-ops that sell to medical patients are in Ontario,
and those facilities are expanding to supply recreational pot users,
too. "Ontario should be the leader," Lizotte says.

The federal government aims to make dried pot and cannabis oil legal
by July 1, 2018, and has unveiled its legislation to that effect, but
many key details have been left to the provinces.

Alberta, Quebec, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and the Northwest
Territories have planned or begun consultations. Alberta has
encouraged citizens to start discussion groups to debate questions
under provincial control, such as: Where should marijuana be sold?
Should the province raise the legal age for purchasing pot above the
federal minimum of 18? Should people be allowed to use cannabis in
public? Should the province create new impaired driving laws? How
should cannabis be treated in the workplace?

In New Brunswick, where the government considers the cannabis industry
a pillar of economic growth, a legislative committee will hold public
hearings this summer. Quebec plans a summit of experts in June,
followed by regional consultations and draft legislation in the fall.
In Ontario, the Cannabis Secretariat has been holding private meetings.

"Ontario is engaging with health, public safety, municipal and
indigenous stakeholders and will continue to do so over the summer
months as we develop our regulatory framework," said a statement from
the Ministry of the Attorney General, which houses the Secretariat.
Besides the "proactive stakeholder outreach," the statement said,
"government officials are attending relevant conferences, meeting with
academics and responding to impacted groups who wish to provide input."

There was no reply to a request for details about which "stakeholders"
and "impacted groups" have been part of the discussion.

As for how the public can get involved in the cannabis debate, that's
not known. The Secretariat will "engage with the public over the
coming months," said the statement. Asked for more details, officials
provided the same statement again.

The public silence on the issue may be because the province is waiting
until the federal cannabis legislation is passed, says cannabis
lobbyist Lizotte.

But there are also political considerations, says Lizotte, who worked
at Queen's Park for Conservative politicians before jumping into the
cannabis consulting business.

A provincial election is scheduled for June 7, 2018. That's just a few
weeks before the target date for the brave new world of legal pot.
Will Ontario try to keep the issue low-key because politicians are
disinclined to talk about pot?

During the election in B.C. last month, cannabis was barely mentioned
by politicians, even though the province has a massive underground
industry.

"We can't let that happen in Ontario," says Lizotte, adding activists
will try to make marijuana legalization part of the Ontario election
debate.

The political landscape varies greatly by province, says Ottawa
business lawyer Trina Fraser, who advises companies on obtaining
licences to grow medical marijuana.

"Certain provinces have their act together more than others. Certain
provinces are more excited than others. Some view it as economic
opportunity, some view it as something that is being imposed on them
against their will. I think there is a different political appetite
across the country toward embracing it and dealing with it."

Ontario may not be saying much publicly, but work is going on behind
the scenes, says Omar Khan, a vice-president at Hill & Knowlton who
advises clients in the cannabis industry. He suspects the Ontario
Cannabis Secretariat is "mapping out the landscape" and coming up with
options for cabinet. "They've been thinking about this since the
Trudeau government was elected," says Khan, who until last fall worked
as chief of staff to Ontario's health minister.

On the key question of where cannabis will be sold, three options are on 
the table, says Khan: privately operated stores; government-run outlets 
similar to the LCBO; or some hybrid of the two.

It's highly unlikely Ontario will allow alcohol and marijuana to be
sold in the same place, says Khan, an assessment that is widely shared
in the industry. "It's unlikely you'll be able to walk into an LCBO
and buy marijuana."

The statement from the Cannabis Secretariat says "all policy options
remain on the table."
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MAP posted-by: Matt