Province announces regulations for private sale of cannabis

Alberta’s provincial government announced the rules that will govern the sale of cannabis when it becomes legal this summer.
Private retailers in the province will have to follow, what the government called a strict set of rules, that will include background checks for retail licenses.
In a press release Feb. 16, the government said that public safety was the focus with the new regulations.
“These regulations focus on keeping our communities safe, while protecting public health and promoting safety on roads, in workplaces and in public spaces,” said Alberta’s Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Kathleen Ganley.
The new regulations lay out, where retail outlets can be located, who can own them, staff policies, and security and safety rules.
To operate a private cannabis retail outlet in Alberta all employees will be required to complete a background check and mandatory training. The province will also be setting mandatory security measures for stores.
All retail operators will require a license and no signal person or organization will be permitted to hold more than 15 per cent of the retail licenses in the province.
The province has also prohibited the co-location of cannabis retail and alcohol, pharmaceuticals or tobacco sales.
“These regulations…They’ll help keep cannabis out of the hands of youth, while ensuring consumers have access to safe products no matter where they live,” said Ganley.
While these regulations will apply to the whole province, they have left room for municipalities to make adjustments that suit their individual communities.
The provincially set buffer distance of 100 metres from schools and health-care facilities and the permitted operating hours of 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. can be adjusted by municipal councils to best suit their communities.
The legal age of consumption has been set at 18 with no one under that age being permitted to enter a retail location.
The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) will be responsible for the distribution, compliance and enforcement of the legal cannabis system in Alberta.
“For more than 20 years, the AGLC has been a regulatory leader in the management of Alberta’s gaming and liquor industries. We will continue to be a leader through…the promotion of responsible sale and consumption of legal cannabis,” said AGLC President and CEO Alain Maisonneuve.
The AGLC will begin accepting license applications on March 6.
For more information go to aglc.ca/cannabis.