New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks was one of a group of Atlantic mayors who want a stronger voice when it comes to decisions around the legalization of marijuana.
She and the other community leaders associated with the Atlantic Mayors’ Congress believe municipalities in the region need more support and information as the legalization of marijuana in Canada approaches.
While attending the Atlantic Mayors’ Congress meeting from Oct. 18 to 20, Dicks signed a joint resolution requesting that the provincial and federal governments co-operate with municipalities in Atlantic Canada to prepare for the legalization of marijuana.
The resolution was created at the meeting to ensure that municipalities are taken into full partnership with the other levels of government, Dicks said, when making decisions and receiving information on how the laws will change to accommodate legalization.
“Our resolution was asking that both the federal and provincial governments ensure representation from all three united levels of government,” said Dicks. “Municipalities haven’t been involved enough, and haven’t been given enough time, with the timeline of July 2018 (for legalization of marijuana).”
The resolution said that municipalities already face increasing costs for public safety, which “are a disproportionate burden on our budgets.”
Dicks said cannabis legalization will directly impact municipal budgets, adding that “since municipalities have such a large stake in public safety, this will come at a cost to their own budgets. Municipalities must be involved in this, and in the planning of this.”
Dicks sees a need for more money to be available to municipalities, to deal with the costs associated with policing that will inevitably arise.
“Public safety is the responsibility of municipalities, and with the legalization of cannabis – that’s a major concern,” said Dicks. “Municipalities cover the cost of policing and, in turn, we need funding available for them.
Even training officers to be able to enforce new laws relating to cannabis will be expensive and could be a strain on local economies, she noted.
Another point the resolution urged is the need for more thorough discussion, planning and decision-making. There will be an increase in the number of municipal responsibilities associated with enforcing cannabis-related laws. There will also be a need for extensive planning and preparation to respond to the anticipated community changes accompanying legalization.
Although there are certain limits for alcohol, Dicks and the other Atlantic mayors want to see similar laws in place with certainty for marijuana, as well as the fact that “there are concerns with edibles, and those kinds of things, too,” another segment of the legal changes that needs more certainty.
“Another large concern is age,” Dicks said. “What is the legal age to use marijuana going to be? It hasn’t been determined yet. All of these things are significant for any community.”
