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Some local council candidates say 18 too young for marijuana legal age

Next council will deal with costs and enforcement
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Alberta is proposing 18 to be the legal age for marijuana users and that has some Red Deer council candidates raising their eyebrows.

The provincial government released its draft framework on Wednesday proposing a marijuana legal age consistent with alcohol and cigarettes age.

Robert Friss, a council candidate whose daughter turned 18 on Thursday, said as a parent, the number is a bit concerning.

“Eighteen is still young for such a new item,” he said.

The 50-year-old sighted Ontario’s plan for marijuana, a province that has set 19 to be the legal age.

The number is concerning to council candidate Matt Chapin who said the number should be much higher.

“From my research, it should be a little more than 25,” he said.

Council candidate and incumbent Dianne Wyntjes, said when council had discussions about the legalization of marijuana, council preferred age 21.

“But I understand this is keeping in line with our legal drinking age,” said Wyntjes.

Wyntjes said she believes the number should be the same across the board for all provinces to be consistent throughout the country.

The next council will have to look into costs and bylaws associated with legalization of marijuana on a tight timeline, said Wyntjes.

The federal government wants to see the legalization of marijuana by July 2018.

Candidate Calvin Goulet-Jones, echoes Wyntjes’s cost and enforcement concerns.

Goulet-Jones said he wants to see funding in place so municipalities can have an enforcement plan and educate their residents.

Goulet-Jones said legalizing marijuana adds another layer of enforcement for police officers who already have their hands full with the local crime rate.

Both Wyntjes and Goulet-Jones want to consult with the public to have bylaws in place that the community agrees with.

“We don’t want these popping up next to schools,” said Goulet-Jones.

When it comes to private or public marijuana retail model, candidates are seeking help from the government, at least in the short run.

Wyntjes said because legalizing marijuana is so new, it would be beneficial to start with a model that’s controlled by the province and slowly release it to the private sector — just like the liquor industry was privatized in Alberta. Friss and Chapin agreed.

Friss said the province should regulate how the product is being sold, at least in the short term.

The Alberta government hasn’t decided on a public or private retail model for marijuana yet.



mamta.lulla@reddeeradvocate.com

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