Pubdate: Mon, 12 Mar 2018
Source: Labradorian, The (CN NF)
Copyright: 2018 The Labradorian
Contact:  http://www.thelabradorian.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3565
Author: Ashley Fitzpatrick
Page: 2

THE LATEST DIRT ON N.L. CANNABIS

Home growing expected to be addressed in House of Assembly this
spring

Federal legislation, provincial legislation, contracts and regulation
- - there's plenty still in the works when it comes to having legal,
recreational marijuana in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In the coming weeks, more will be said on growing your own cannabis
and on Canopy Growth's in-province production facility. More is also
expected to be brought to the House of Assembly on marijuana in the
workplace, and occupational, health and safety implications of
legalization.

Growing it alone

An amendment to the Liquor Corporation Act in Newfoundland and
Labrador at the end of 2017 gave the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor
Corp. (NLC) the ability to handle licensing, sale and delivery of
cannabis in this province, but it did not address cultivation.

Proposed federal legislation - now with the Senate - would allow
Canadians to grow up to four plants per household, from seeds
purchased from licensed cannabis retailers.

However, in Manitoba, the Safe and Responsible Retailing of Cannabis
Act (Bill 11) was introduced in December and is set to prohibit
in-house cultivation in that province.

A spokesman for the provincial Department of Tourism, Culture,
Industry and Innovation (TCII) said a decision hasn't been made yet on
the approach to home growing in Newfoundland and Labrador, but it is
expected to be covered in the spring session of the
legislature.

For its part, a spokesman for the NLC told the Telegram the Crown
corporation has not made any final decisions on what will be included
in its first product catalogue.

Single site for online sales

The NLC has made progress in brick-andmortar retail. It has developed
and issued a request for proposals, seeking retailers interested in
selling recreational cannabis.

Looking online, legal cannabis products are being limited in
Newfoundland and Labrador to anything sold through an NLC-approved
website - just the one website to start. As The Canadian Press
reported on Feb. 12, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO),
through the subsidiary Ontario Cannabis Retail Corp., signed a deal
with Shopify to use its e-commerce platform for online sales and
mobile sales in that province.

Could Newfoundland and Labrador also seek out a third party for online
sales?

"We are currently reviewing options for the online sales portal," said
the NLC spokesman, in response to questions this week. "If a decision
is made to develop the site with an outside contractor, NLC will
follow Public Tender Act procedures to secure a service provider." The
Telegram was told online orders entered by a member of the public
would be put to the government-licensed producer, who would then be
responsible for the deliveries (Canopy Growth Corp., for example, is
required to file a transportation plan with the government by March
31, addressing its live retail stores, but also transportation for
online sales).

Delays and deadlines

Through an access to information request, the Telegram obtained a copy
of the agreement between the NLC, the province and Canopy Growth
Corp., as the first and - to date - only approved producer here
supplying recreational cannabis products for Newfoundland and Labrador.

There were redactions, but the document - dated Dec. 7, 2017 -
provides some of the detailed language around the essential elements,
including the in-province production facility to be built by Canopy
Growth.

The contract includes milestone dates, including that the company file
for environmental assessment by the end of this month (March 31).

The contract stipulates the agreement can be terminated if
legalization has not happened in Canada within two years.

But might the more immediate milestone dates be delayed?

"The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has not received any
official communication from the federal government regarding a
legalization date change. Until such time, we are still targeting
July," stated an emailed response to questions, from a spokesman for
the Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.

CBC News has reported, given federal requirements, it's unlikely
recreational cannabis will be legalized in Canada before early August.

The current legislative process does not include edible products,
which are expected to be addressed in 2019.
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MAP posted-by: Matt