Trudeau makes case for legal pot stores: 'We need to protect our kids'
Prime minister, premier answer York Region councils who say 'No' to local marijuana shops

Yorkregion.com
Tim Kelly
Dec. 15, 2017

With two York Region councils saying no to hosting a marijuana store when the drug becomes legal next July, what do Premier Kathleen Wynne and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau think of York's 'Just say No' position?

Richmond Hill and Markham councils have voted to not be willing hosts to a marijuana store come July 1, 2018, when marijuana becomes legal. East Gwillimbury Mayor Virginia Hackson isn't keen on her town having a store either. And Vaughan, among the first 14 municipalities named by Ontario to host a pot store by next July, is taking its time coming out with a policy on the issue.

"Our young people have easier access to marijuana now than any developed country around the world. That has to change. We need to protect our kids by making it more difficult for them to access marijuana. Putting in a legalized controlled framework is a big step towards that," said Trudeau.

"We need a system to do a better job of protecting our kids and protecting our communities. Over the past year, there has been tremendous collaboration with the provinces, with the municipalities, moving forward in a way to protect the public interest," he added.

Trudeau mentioned the 75-25 split with provinces and the federal government over marijuana tax revenues as part of "responsible collaboration with different orders of government."

Wynne said "we are working with municipalities. I already have had a conversation with one of the mayors this morning. I understand this is a culture shift. I understand there are anxieties about this. The reality is this is about protecting young people and about undercutting that black market that makes marijuana available to young people in a completely unregulated way."

She said whether there's a store in "your municipality or not, people will be able to get marijuana online."