The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce wants the province to get going on recreational marijuana.
It'll be up to the feds to change the criminal code, but the chamber wants the Wynne government to start the consultative process for a regulatory framework.
"Distribution of recreational marijuana could very well likely fall into the hands of the provinces," says Chamber CEO Matt Marchand admitting that what the framework will eventually look like is still not known. "The province is going to have a major role in this regardless of what the ultimate model looks like."
A letter to the premier stresses the need for a responsible distribution system that eliminates the underground economy in marijuana and protects youth. It also calls for greater investment in addiction prevention and treatment without putting additional pressure on the healthcare system.
The letter from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce says the business community will not accept a system that prioritizes government revenues. The local chamber says it hopes the province gives the private sector the opportunity to become a distribution channel for recreational marijuana, which estimates suggest will be worth up to $2-billion in annual sales by 2024.
This weekend, the chamber along with other like-minded chambers of commerce will introduce a resolution at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting. Marchand says already the resolution calling on the province to move forward has support from as far away as British Columbia.
