SUMA, SARM urge municipalities to prepare for legalized cannabis
The Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association and Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities are urging municipal representatives across Saskatchewan to prepare for the legalization of cannabis.
Both SUMA and SARM were among organizations across the country that worked with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to research and develop an informational guide to legalization. The federal government is expected to make cannabis legal in Canada in the coming months, and both SUMA and SARM are urging municipalities to be prepared.
“It’s still unclear somewhat as to what our roles are going to be,” SUMA President Gordon Barnhart told paNOW. “There is a wee bit of time, and that’s why the guidelines have come out now, is to try and encourage the municipalities to get ready, to put their bylaws in place, or to assess at least where they need bylaws and what they should be.”
Barnhart said many municipalities are concerned about how to effectively monitor and enforce regulations around legal cannabis. Municipalities and communities are interested in knowing more about the rules around workplace usage, he said, especially those that have employees operating heavy machinery.