The City of Winkler is not yet prepared with an answer as to whether the sale of marijuana will be allowed in the community once it becomes legal to do so in July 2018.
Municipalities are to let the province know by tomorrow their position on the matter.
Mayor Martin Harder said, “out of principle, we are saying we will not reply.”
“We still haven’t made that decision as far as the new marijuana legislation is concerned,” said Harder. “That’s been heavy on our hearts, we want to do the right thing but we want to make sure that we have the facts before we make that decision.” He said they will make a decision at the earliest opportunity possible.
Harder said there is just not enough information, and it’s something they’re expected to sign onto without any details.
Harder said the city would like to have a community hall meeting on the issue with a panel of experts, including police, the medical community, and distributors, something they hope to do by the end of January. He said they want to be able to answer for the community what the concerns are and what the involvement is of these different organizations. “And if we choose to go ahead with it, here are the protections that are in place.”
credit:portageonline.com
