Tightly-regulated private cannabis retail store system will protect children and combat the illegal market
Today, Ontario’s Government for the People implemented the latest phase of its planned response to the federal government’s legalization of cannabis by passing strict new regulations to protect children and youth, keep communities and roads safe and combat the illegal market. The result of widespread consultations with the people of Ontario, these regulations provide clarity for a private recreational cannabis store system that will begin April 1, 2019 under the close oversight of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The regulations establish a minimum distance of 150 metres (approximately 500 feet) between cannabis retail stores and schools, including private and federally-funded First Nation schools off-reserve. This distance buffer will help protect students and keep communities safe, while other regulations will combat the influence and participation of organized crime in the legal licensed framework. “The purpose of these regulations is to keep kids safe and to ensure all people operating in this tightly-regulated retail system behave with integrity, honesty, and in the public interest,” said Attorney General Caroline Mulroney. “The application process for private cannabis retail store licences will begin on December 17, 2018, and we will be ready with laws and regulations to protect Ontario’s youth and to combat the criminal market in response to the federal government’s legalization of cannabis.” Other new strict regulations established by the Ontario Government include:
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