The president of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police is pleased July 1, 2018 isn’t the date cannabis will be legalized in Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the TVA network in Quebec in an interview that “next summer” is when it will be legalized, but he gave no set date.
Chief Andy McGrogan said his first reaction to the news is positive.
“The July 1 deadline is just too close, it’s too quick, but it’s pretty vague about what he actually means. So, we don’t know and what’s the rationale? So I’m glad to hear they’re going to push it out a bit to get it right, I think he realized it’s not right yet.”
Several provinces have asked the federal government to delay passing the legislation to give them more time to prepare.
“It took us generations to get drinking and driving kinda right, it kinda morphed,” McGrogan said.
“This doesn’t have to morph, cannabis has been around for a while. Let’s figure out what impairment is, let’s figure out how to measure it, let’s figure out what the public safety concerns are, and get the regulatory framework in place to allow us to keep Canadians safe and then you know what, do what you need to do.”
McGrogan said although vague, it seems the Prime Minister is realizing that July 1 isn’t a realistic date to have legislation in place.
The province, meanwhile, is continuing to prepare for whatever day legalization is.
“As a province, we are continuing our work towards having our system ready to be in place by summer of next year,” Justice and Solicitor General spokesperson Veronica Jubinville said in a statement.
“As we wait for more clarity on an exact timeline from the federal government, our priority remains focused on the health and safety or Albertans.”
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