Quebec Lawmakers Reconsider Public-Use Ban

Lawmakers in Quebec, Canada are planning to amend the language banning public cannabis consumption and raising the legal age for purchasing and use from 18 to 21-years-old, according to a report from the CBC. The Quebec Union of Municipalities also opposed the public-use ban and officials determined it was unenforceable.

In most Canadian provinces, the legal age for purchasing and consuming cannabis is 19; Alberta is the only other province with a legal age of 18.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante also opposed the ban, telling the CBC that the restrictions posed “significant difficulties” for the province. While Lionel Carmant, Quebec‘s junior health minister, has revised the measure to give cities and towns more control over cannabis rules.

The proposed changes come as federal agencies adopt, or move toward adopting, new rules and regulations for the nation’s legal cannabis industry. Last week, Health Canada announced would-be industry operators would have to show that they have a fully built cultivation site before applying for a license; the agency said that 70 percent of applicants who pass the initial paper-based reviews over the last three years have not proven they have a facility that meets the national regulatory requirements.

Lawmakers are still devising rules for the rollout of edibles, which are not allowed in the current marketplace after lawmakers decided to wait one year until allowing the products for retail sale. In its budget proposal, the Liberal government included a THC-based tax rate for edible, and topical, products.

All of the proposed changes must be approved by the National Assembly, which adjourns next month.