Pubdate: Wed, 06 Dec 2017 Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Copyright: 2017 Canoe Limited Partnership Contact: http://www.winnipegsun.com/letter-to-editor Website: http://www.winnipegsun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503 Author: Joyanne Pursaga Page: 3 'WE WANT TO PROTECT THEM' Province sets 19 as minimum age to buy pot You'll have to be 19 to buy recreational marijuana in Manitoba and only eligible medicinal users will be able to grow weed at home. If provincial legislation introduced Tuesday passes as is, the minimum purchase and possession age for recreational cannabis will be one year older than both the federally required minimum and Manitoba's legal drinking age. The feds are set to legalize recreational pot on July 1, 2018. The province says setting a higher-than-required minimum consumption age will help keep marijuana out of schools and out of the hands of kids. "There's research out there that says ... this is harmful for the brains of young Manitobans," said Justice Minister Heather Stefanson."(but) if you (pick) the age of 25 or 21, you're potentially driving people towards the gangs and the illicit market." Further age limits will apply to how pot is sold. Unless the drug is locked away and out of view, such as how pharmacies handle over-the-counter medications, only those 19 and older would be allowed inside stores that sell legal marijuana. The province says kids would also be prevented from buying pot online through requirements to provide a credit card and other ID. The province's Safe and Responsible Retailing of Cannabis Act would also prohibit Manitobans from growing pot for recreational use at home, though the province has yet to set an exact penalty for breaking that rule. "Obviously, we have young people that live in our homes and we want to protect them from being exposed to this," said Stefanson. The minister noted the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has also asked the federal government to reconsider allowing Canadians to grow up to four marijuana plants at home, arguing that limit would be tough and expensive to enforce. Manitobans also won't be able to try their pot before they buy it, since the bill bans cannabis consumption "in any manner" within a cannabis store. The initial reaction to the legislation was mixed. Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada and the Manitoba School Boards Association applauded the province's decision to set a minimum purchasing age one year higher than the feds required, even though both organizations preferred an even older one. "By keeping the age at 19, it does make sure that it's enforceable that students do not have any substances in their possession when they attend schools," said Josh Watt, executive director of the MSBA. Watt said MSBA had recommended a minimum pot purchasing age of 21, since brain development is believed to continue until someone reaches their mid-20s. But Steven Stairs, a medicinal marijuana user and pot legalization advocate, said the age limit is problematic. "I honestly think you're going to criminalize a bunch of 18-year-olds for no reason just based on the idea that they are somehow going to be stopping the flow of cannabis going in to high schools ... By that logic, why aren't you raising the alcohol age?" said Stairs. He also objects to the province's refusal to allow Manitobans to grow their own weed, a move he believes demonizes the drug. "I am literally blown away by that one ... People should be able to grow cannabis in their own home just like you can brew beer and wine," said Stairs. "I think you're going to see a (legal) challenge on that one." Meanwhile, NDP leader Wab Kinew said the province must do more to protect against the potential mental health and addictions effects of increased access to marijuana. "There should be supports for mental health, supports for addictions, treatment in our province," said Kinew. The province says it will rely on federal requirements to determine the potency of marijuana that can be sold, how much pot an adult can possess at once and how the product is labelled. - --------------------------------- Here are the rules, bud The province also plans to take the following actions to control legal marijuana sales:: - -Rename the Liquor and Gaming Authority the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority. - -Make the new LGCA responsible for licensing cannabis stores and distributors and have its inspectors enforce compliance. - -Make it an offence to sell cannabis without a licence or purchase it from an unlicensed seller. - -Set a maximum fine for those who sell unlicensed marijuana at $500,000 for a corporation and $100,000 for an individual. Those fines could be paired with, or substituted by, one year of jail time. - -Make it illegal to sell cannabis to a person who appears intoxicated. - -Allow consideration for retailer approvals to be based on proximity to parks, playgrounds and schools. - -Ensure only cannabis grown by federally authorized producers is sold at retail locations. - -Make it an offence to provide cannabis to a young person and for a young person to possess cannabis. It will also be an offence to use false ID to buy cannabis. - -Deal with most offences by ticketing. - -Require all cannabis sold through retail cannabis stores to be purchased from Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries. - -Allow cannabis retailers to accept remote orders (online) for delivery. - -Require both cannabis retailers and distributors to be licenced. - -Require part of 2% net revenue for MLLC to now include responsible cannabis consumption initiatives. - -Require anyone who wishes to sell pot online to also do so through a storefront. - -Require municipalities who don't want pot stores in their communities to hold a referendum on the topic, which must occur by January 2022. - -Keep medical cannabis licensed separately. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt