This month, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) released a report pertaining to the impact of upcoming Cannabis Legalization on Municipal Governments. Some highlights of the report are noted below, while the link to the full report can be found here (Municipal Guide to Cannabis Legalization).
Getting the legalization of Cannabis right, will depend on Government. The development, implementation, and enforcement of regulations pertaining to Cannabis will have a profound effect on how well, legalized non-medical, cannabis is introduced to Canadians. Getting this right will depend on all levels of government.
Municipal Governments will bear a significant amount of responsibility. While the Federal Government has made the Cannabis commitment, and Provincial Governments are responsible regulations pertaining to distribution amongst other things, Municipal Governments will bear most of the responsibility with the operational aspects of the changes. These operational aspects, such as Zoning, Business Regulations, Enforcement, etc. are expected to be quite significant. Municipal Governments must be prepared to address these challenges by ensuring that they have the resources and systems in place to manage the change.
The FCM’s full report can be found here.
