ALBERTA SETS GROUND RULES FOR POT

But as legalization nears, province still unsure how to sell the stuff

If you’re old enough to get drunk, you’re old enough to get stoned.

That might not be a government slogan, but it pretty much sums up the nub of Alberta’s proposed marijuana laws.

Those laws have yet to be drawn up, but on Wednesday morning, Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley unveiled the direction the government is headed.

When possession of cannabis becomes legal across Canada next July, here are some of the proposed rules for Alberta:

You have to be at least 18 to

■ buy and consume cannabis.

You won’t be allowed to possess

■ more than 30 grams (that’s about an ounce for those of you trying to do the conversion from that “one time” you lit up in the 1970s).

You’ll be able to grow your own ■ cannabis plants at home. But only four of them and they can’t be taller than one metre. No big pots for your little pot.

The government doesn’t yet know where it will allow cannabis to be sold.

Ontario, for example, will sell marijuana the way it sells booze, through government-run liquor stores.

The Alberta government hasn’t made up its mind whether to allow marijuana to be sold in private stores or in governmentowned outlets.

Either way, you won’t be able to pick up a spliff of Colombian Gold where you get a bottle of Canadian Club. Existing liquor stores will not be allowed to sell cannabis. The government doesn’t want to make it easy for you to mix your Bud with your bud.

It also doesn’t want to make it easy for kids to get their hands on grass, unless it’s the lawnmowing variety. So, the government is looking to the public for ideas and feedback.

The details of the proposed framework released Wednesday in Calgary are up for discussion. The government has a webpage where you can give your opinion.

But by federal government decree, the legal age can’t be below 18 and you can’t possess more than 30 grams.

Ganley is optimistic the province will have its laws in place by the July 1 deadline, but this is a time-sensitive headache for all provinces thanks to Ottawa.

It set the timeline and now it’s up to the provinces to come up with rules and regulations dealing with everything from where to buy cannabis to how police will enforce new impairment laws.

And there’s a cost to all of this. The government is hoping Ottawa will help pay the bills for enforcement. That’s because Ganley doesn’t expect the province will make much money from taxing cannabis. We shall see.

Interestingly, just as the government was rolling out its cannabis guidelines, an NDP backbencher had everyone wondering what she had been smoking.

Karen McPherson, MLA for Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill, abruptly announced she was quitting the government caucus to sit as an independent MLA. This was a shock to everyone, including the government.

“Our world is becoming increasingly polarized with pressures of left & right politics,” she said on Twitter. “I don’t reflect either of those options.”

She wasn’t much more articulate or forthcoming in an interview. You’re left with the impression that McPherson’s departure is an indication of just how unpopular the NDP has become in Calgary. She insists she wasn’t unhappy in the NDP caucus, but politicians don’t quit a government caucus if they’re happy.

McPherson says she’ll spend the next three weeks in advance of the fall legislative sitting talking with her constituents about what she should do next.

And Wednesday afternoon, we had another political announcement, but this one the opposite of shock.

Jeff Callaway quit the race for leadership of the United Conservative Party and endorsed Jason Kenney.

Callaway says money wasn’t an issue, but it’s worth pointing out if he didn’t drop out now, he’d have to pay another $37,500 on Thursday as the final instalment of his entry fee to stay in the race.

Callaway was never particularly believable as a candidate. He appeared to act as a surrogate for Kenney, attacking Brian Jean and leaving Kenney’s hands unsullied. (As if to prove this point, Callaway issued a news release Wednesday calling out “many of Brian’s most loyal supporters” as bullies).

If Callaway thinks he has fooled anyone, he must think we’re all high on something.

Ganley is optimistic the province will have its laws in place by the July 1 deadline, but this is a time-sensitive headache for all provinces.