Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne restated her opinion that recreational cannabis sales in the province should be restricted to the LCBO.
Wynne responded to questions about her government’s creation of a working group to determine how legal cannabis will be distributed and sold in the province.
Wynne said the provincial task force is investigating how to best limit the sale of all recreational cannabis to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario‘s 650 outlet locations.
“We have the LCBO in place [and] I think that we’ve demonstrated that that kind of regulation is efficient and is effective,” Wynne said.
Wynne said the province’s opinion that recreational cannabis be sold through the government retailer will be brought to the federal Liberals, who are also exploring a framework for legal cannabis sales.
“I will certainly be advocating with the federal government that we have that kind of regulation in place,” Wynne said.
Wynne said because of the “grey area” surrounding cannabis sales, dispensaries have begun to open across the province, especially in Toronto.
“We literally don’t have that legal framework from the federal government. I feel very strongly that there needs to be control and regulation of marijuana,” said the premier.
She said, until regulations come down from Ottawa, it’s ultimately the responsibility of the municipalities to control dispensaries.