Getting ready for legal weed

Every year, a few stories stand out as the most important in Edmonton — stories that get us talking around the proverbial water cooler and resonate deeply in our city. The Journal is counting down our picks for the Top 5 stories of 2017.

No. 5 Getting ready for legal pot

Don’t be surprised if one of the biggest stories of 2017 ends up as one of the biggest stories next year as well.

July 1, recreational marijuana will become legal across the country.

But ahead of the change, officials from a multitude of government agencies, private organizations and public institutions have been readying themselves for legal weed.

While the federal government set some basic parameters, much of the decision-making on legal age and retail sales was left to the provinces.

In Alberta, the NDP decided on a hybrid plan where bricks-andmortar stores will sell direct to customers while government will be in charge of all online sales. The government stuck with the public possession limit of 30 grams while the legal age was set at 18, matching the rules around alcohol and cigarette consumption.

But while some of the rules have been set, questions remain about how schools, health facilities and police will deal with students, patients and, perhaps most worrisome, motorists high on legal pot.

While a recent poll has shown Canadians split on legalization, the federal Liberals have shown no indication that they are going to stall the process.

So, while decades of “Say no to drugs” and “Just say no” educational campaigns will be turned on their head, legal weed appears inevitable.

And what was a big story in 2017, will probably climb “higher” up this list in 2018.