MINDEMOYA—The Manitoulin Municipal Association (MMA) has given its support to lobby the province to tie together legislation regarding the use of cannabis which with the same rules in place currently for alcohol use and enforced by police services. At a Manitoulin Municipal Association (MMA) meeting last week, Chair Ken Noland encouraged members to support his idea to have the new cannabis laws in place mirror the legislation in place for alcohol.
“So instead of municipalities having to pass legislation not allowing cannabis to be smoked in public places and then having to enforce this, have this legislation governing cannabis use tied in with the (provincial laws) so that for one thing, the police will have to enforce this,” Mr. Noland told the Recorder after the meeting. “And so for a person who would be charged if they were walking down the street with an open bottle of beer, the same would happen if they were smoking a joint. Currently, it is not an offence to do the latter.”
“This is something I’ve talked to our MPP (Michael Mantha) and the local Public Health Sudbury and Districts board about to try and get their support,” Mr. Noland told the MMA. “Do you support this thought?”
“I wholeheartedly support this,” stated Lee Hayden. “They (government) opened up this (cannabis) legislation far too much.”
Billings Mayor Ian Anderson said that he was “definitely” in support of it as well.
“Right now a person can smoke weed on the streets, for example, but the same rules are not in place for drinking a beer,” said Richard Stephens.
“That’s why I think they need to tie in the legislation for both,” said Mr. Noland.
Mr. Stephens raised concerns that some people, especially teenagers, are being encouraged to use vaping as a form of smoking. But in a lot of cases users are becoming addicted.
However, Mr. Noland noted that the government is also changing some of the regulations on vaping as well.
Mr. Noland proposed a motion be passed by the MMA and sent to the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities for their support that the laws governing pot be tied in with alcohol laws.
“I’ve been talking to Mr. Mantha and he is working with his staff on this,” said Mr. Noland.
The MMA passed a motion in support of Mr. Noland’s proposal.
It was pointed out by Northeast Town mayor Al MacNevin that the province has in place legislation where smoking is banned, for instance within a specified distance from hospitals and municipal buildings. However for the latter, the legislation has to be enforced by municipalities which can prove to be difficult in terms of costs and resources for small communities. “Municipalities can put more restrictions in place but then they have to be enforced by the municipalities.”
