Manitobans will soon have less freedom when it comes to consuming cannabis.
The Progressive Conservative government introduced a bill Friday to expand the province’s ban on smoking and vaping recreational cannabis in public places to also cover edible products, oils and other formats.
Some other provinces, including Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, already ban all forms of public pot consumption.
The government plans to exempt cannabis products that do not contain THC — the intoxicating compound — from its public consumption ban as long as it is not smoked or vaped.
Justice Minister Cliff Cullen suggested the ban on intoxicating brownies and other goods will likely only be enforced on people causing trouble, similar to the ban on open liquor.
“If (police) do find individuals that are acting up in public and … they can recognize this is a cannabis product, they can take the necessary steps then.”
The cannabis and shopping bills are before the legislature and it’s not yet clear when they might become law.