Government departments aren't ready to talk about what kind of strategy N.S. could have, or suggestions in the federal report.
The Canadian Press
This Feb. 13, 2013 file photo shows a marijuana bud at the grand
opening of the Seattle location of the Northwest Cannabis Market, for
sales of medical marijuana products
The Nova Scotia government has formed two
working groups to get into the weeds of marijuana legalization, but the
province’s plans remain a little hazy.
A federal task force on marijuana legalization released a report this week
recommending mail-order and storefront sales to people over the age of
18, with a 30-gram limit on personal possession of recreational pot.
The report contained more than 80 recommendations about how legalized marijuana should be produced, regulated and sold.
Premier Stephen McNeil, and three departments
heading a federal-provincial-territorial working group on the province's
marijuana legalization strategy, will not comment on any of them.
The Departments of Justice, Health and
Wellness and Finance and Treasury Board are the senior officials in a
working group on the legalization, and regulation of cannabis in the
province.
"We’ve just received the report and are
reviewing the task force’s recommendations,” Sarah Gillis, a
spokesperson for the Department of Justice, said in a statement
Wednesday.
Officials at the premier's office, the health
department and the finance department declined to comment on the task
force's findings, referring Metro back to the Department of Justice.
Nova Scotia also has an “interdepartmental”
working group looking into marijuana policy, which includes
representatives from across government, said Gillis.
The inner workings of the working groups are clouded.
Gillis could not be reached by the end of day Wednesday to clarify each working group’s role in crafting policy.
According to the Toronto Star, Ontario has 12 provincial departments working to roll out a cannabis strategy.
Despite some Nova Scotians’ high expectations, it may still be awhile before legalized marijuana reaches a store near you.
Gillis said the provincial government is
waiting on Ottawa to pass legislation before determining the details of
how legalized marijuana will be sold and what impact it could have on
tax revenue.
"The federal government has significantly
shifted policy on cannabis," Gillis said. “Nova Scotia will ensure that
the health and safety of all Canadians, especially children and youth,
remains a top priority."
More than half of Atlantic Canadians pro-pot legalization for personal use: survey
More than half of Maritimers support legalizing marijuana for recreational use, according to a survey.
Corporate Research Associates released a
survey Wednesday that found 53 per cent of Atlantic Canadians were
pro-pot legalization for personal use, up from 49 per cent in Nov. 2015.
The results marked the first time a majority
of participants on East Coast supported recreational marijuana
legalization since the tracking study began in 2012.
The study found 41 per cent of Atlantic
Canadians surveyed opposed legalizing weed for recreational purposes,
unchanged since the previous survey.
More people had made up their minds on the
issue, according to the results, since the percentage of participants
who reported that they “do not know or do not have an opinion on the
matter” decreased to six per cent from 10 per cent last November.
Support for recreational marijuana use is
higher in Nova Scotia, the study found, while Prince Edward Island was
on the lower end of the scale.
More than eight in 10 Atlantic Canadians are
in favour of medical marijuana legalization and support is consistent
across region, according to the survey.
The results are based on a telephone sample of
1,502 adults in Atlantic Canada. The survey was conducted between Nov. 7
and Dec. 1 this year, with a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points,
95 out of 100 times.
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