With recreational cannabis set to become legal in Canada in less than two months, businesses are gearing up across the province and elsewhere to meet an expected new demand for pot.
And while the legalization is set to create many new employment opportunities, including in greenhouse production facilities and in retail shops, not all the cannabis news is good news.
In particular, concerns remain in areas such as the cost to municipalities, the health impacts on users, and the possibility that legalization could lead to more drug-impaired driving.
The Alberta Urban Municipalities Association says its members have concerns with legalization and in particular the fiscal impacts on municipal services such as policing and bylaw enforcement.
“This includes the capital and operational costs to enforce the new cannabis and impaired driving laws, which will require additional staff, additional or new training for drug recognition and drug testing equipment, the purchase of additional equipment, and other police enforcement activities,” said association president Barry Morishita.
“As well, administrative costs include land use, business licensing, administrative and bylaw enforcement, fire prevention, public health and education, and communications and public engagement.”
When it comes to drug-impaired driving, new data from Statistics Canada indicates that many motorists are already driving while under the influence of pot -- something that may not bode well for public road safety after Oct. 17.
Specifically Statistics Canada says one in seven cannabis users with a driver’s licence reported they drove at least once within two hours of using the drug in the past three months.
And on top of the road safety and municipal cost concerns associated with legalized pot, there are many outstanding questions about the short- and long-term impacts of increased use on the health of consumers.
Whether making recreational cannabis use legal will end up being good or bad for Canada remains to be seen. What is known is that with only weeks to go before pot is legalized, many questions and concerns remain unresolved.
Dan Singleton is the Mountain View Gazette editor.
