British Columbians have just over 24 hours to complete the provincial government’s online survey on cannabis legalization before it’s closed for good.
On September 25, Solicitor General Mike Farnworth announced a public consultation and engagement process that would give residents an opportunity to respond to questions related to the regulation of non-medical cannabis in B.C.
The survey, which asks whether or not respondents are cannabis users and how the province should address things like minimum age, possession limits, and public consumption, takes about 10 minutes to complete.
It will close tomorrow (November 1) at 4 p.m., and coincides with the deadline for submissions from industry stakeholders.
‘In B.C., there is a well-established industry and we want to make sure that whatever framework is put in place in terms of distribution and retail, that we hear from the industry and all the affected groups,’ Farnworth said back in September during the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) Convention.
He also announced the formation of a working group comprised of provincial representatives and ‘technical experts’. The Joint Provincial-Local Government Committee on Cannabis Regulation met for the first time earlier this month on October 20.
According to an October 19 media realse, ‘the purpose of the committee is to provide a forum for communication and consultation so that the province considers local government input during the development of the regulatory framework for legalized non-medical cannabis.’
After individual survey responses and stakeholder submissions are collected, provincial legislation will be developed in time for the spring session of the legislature in February 2018, Farnworth said at the convention.
When asked if there was a possibility for licensed dispensaries in cities like Vancouver and Victoria to be integrated into the province’s framework, Farnworth said that while it was something the government was considering, it couldn’t decide on what that would look like until federal legislation around production is finalized.
‘We need to hear from all the governments on the kind of retail model that they have,’ he said. ‘The key question of this, from my perspective, is that whatever retail model we have in place is a legal model, using legal product.’
