The British Columbia government has set 19 as the minimum age to legally possess, purchase and consume marijuana in the province.
Solicitor General Mike Farnworth says in a news release that the age for consumption is consistent with alcohol and tobacco regulations and with the age of majority.
Farnworth says the distribution of non-medicinal cannabis will be run in a similar way to alcohol through a wholesale distribution model and the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch will be the wholesaler.
Retail sales of legal marijuana will be permitted through public and private ventures that the government plans to outline further next year.
Farnworth says the B.C. government’s goals are to protect young people, making health and safety a priority, keep criminals out of the industry and to maintain road safety.
Almost 50,000 B.C. residents and 141 local and Indigenous governments made submissions to a consultation process ahead of the federal government’s legalization of non-medical cannabis in July 2018.