6 N.W.T. communities face July 16 deadline for cannabis plebiscites

Source: http://www.ccsa.ca/Lists/News/DispForm.aspx?ID=18566

What about prohibition?

Some small communities in the N.W.T. have strict alcohol prohibitions or restrictions in place.

At a June 7 public meeting in Yellowknife, neither Louis Sebert, N.W.T. minister of justice, nor his advisors were able to say if those communities would be able to control cannabis distribution in the same way.

McNeely said communities will want to know the specifics of what legalized marijuana regulations will look like in the N.W.T. But specifics may be difficult for the GNWT to deliver at this point, through no fault of its own.

Marijuana legalization is a federal initiative. As such, local government — or self-government — would not be able to simply override federal laws, Sebert said.

As well, the extent to which local governments will be able to control marijuana possession and distribution, if at all, is not clear.

Mark Aitken, N.W.T. Assistant Deputy Minister, (Attorney General) Department of Justice, said the GNWT has asked the federal government to clarify whether or not local governments will have the authority to regulate the distribution of cannabis in a way similar to how those communities regulate alcohol now, but the federal government has yet to respond.

The Northwest Territories finance minister is calling the marijuana deal with Ottawa “huge for the N.W.T.”

On Monday, the federal government announced that provinces and territories will receive 75 per cent of tax revenue from legal cannabis sales, at least for the first two years.

It’s a significant jump from the 50-50 split that was proposed last month.

“We [the provinces and territories] made the case to the federal finance minister that the provinces and territories were going to be feeling the brunt of the cannabis taxation when it comes in July 1st,” said Robert C. McLeod.

How much individual community governments in the territory will get is still in the planning stages.

“We will meet [with them] and determine how they’re going to be affected,” McLeod said.

“If they are incurring an extra cost and they make their case then we’ll have a look at that and see if there’s funds that’s going to be distributed to some of the municipalities.”
First Nations should get a cut of the deal: chief

Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus believes First Nations should be getting a cut of the tax money as well.

“Cannabis is going to come from our lands,” he said.

“It’s now time for us to sit down [with the] federal government and work out a deal there. If the provinces have [75] per cent of that 100 per cent, we’re certainly going to get a big change of that.”

According to McLeod, First Nations were not mentioned in his conversations with the federal finance minister, only municipalities.

Cannabis will be sold competitively at $10 a gram across Canada. McLeod says the territorial government does not yet know how much revenue that will lead to.

“We don’t know what the [legal] consumption is going to be in the first year,” he said.

“Once that’s determined or once years pass then we’ll know what we get.”

Marijuana is set to become legal this July.

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