Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills MLA Nathan Cooper says the provincial government should expand the amount of time for Albertans to comment on its plans for making recreational marijuana available.
During an interview with the Albertan, Cooper, who also serves as interim leader of the United Conservative Party, noted the deadline to provide that comment is Oct. 27.
He says that's far too short a period for such an important issue, especially given the fact the government still hasn't figured out all aspects of how they will make it available and regulate its use.
"At the very least, they should extend the consultation period. People are not even aware that the consultation process has started, and it'll be over before (they're aware that) it's begun," Cooper says. "I think this is a pretty significant change and I think that they should take the appropriate amount of time."
"I recognize that they only have ëtill July 1 to get all the pieces in place, but making sure we get this right is very important ñ particularly for municipalities as well," he adds.
"Like, exactly how are municipalities going to be involved in engaging in the legalization of marijuana? Will there be zoning requirements for them and that sort of thing?"
Shortly before Thanksgiving, Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley announced that the provincial government is looking at making 18 the minimum legal age to consume marijuana recreationally. That's also the same minimum age for alcohol and tobacco consumption in Alberta.
"I'm not 100 per cent sure where I land on that one with respect to the age of access. I certainly would also like to hear from constituents on that," Cooper says.
Under the proposal, marijuana could only be able to be sold in stand-alone stores. In other words, no alcohol, tobacco or pharmaceuticals could be sold in those outlets, alongside legal weed.
But Ganley said the provincial government has not decided whether to have marijuana made available via government-owned and operated stores or by the private sector, although private stores would still be licensed and regulated by the province.
"Our key priority is obviously around safety and what the government is going to do to ensure that they keep marijuana out of the hands of children," Cooper says.
"With respect to whether or not we have government-run cannabis outlets, I would anticipate that we would be opposed to that," he says.
"There's already a network of facilities across the province; whether they're liquor stores otherwise; that could distribute this product, it would seem very strange to have the government in the business of selling marijuana.
"Certainly the NDP has a track record of growing the bureaucracy and finding ways to ensure there's more and more government employees," Cooper adds. "I don't think this is a good case for that. I think we have a network that already exists and it would be ideal if we already utilized those networks."
Cooper is also concerned about other aspects around the legalization of recreational marijuana, including safety in the workplace and ensuring police have the proper laws and tools in place to deal with people who may drive while high.
He says another concern is to ensure the safety of first responders who may be called to accidents involving people under the influence of marijuana.
"Certainly roadside testing is a large issue on this file. We need to ensure that we have all of the tools that are needed by our law enforcement professionals to make sure our roads are kept safe," Cooper says.
"(We) want to ensure that the appropriate jurisdictions are providing the resources that we're going to need for our first responders or workplace safety individuals to make sure that we're operating as safely as possible under the new context of the legalization of marijuana."
"I think this is a pretty significant change and I think that they should take the appropriate amount of time."NATHAN COOPER OLDS-DIDSBURY-THREE HILLS MLA AND UCP INTERIM LEADER
