Cannabis in Alberta

Cannabis in Alberta will become legalized on October 17, 2018 following the passage of federal Bill C-45. Production, distribution and consumption of cannabis has been prohibited in Canada since 1923. While most other provinces will distribute cannabis through publicly owned retail monopolies, Alberta has indicated that private companies will be allowed to sell cannabis at licensed retail storefronts. The Alberta government will provide the sole e-commerce marketplace for cannabis sales within the province.

Industrial hemp

Hemp production was legalized in 1998 and Alberta grew thousands of acres by the 2000s.[1] In 2011, Alberta grew 6,434 hectares (15,900 acres), about 40% of Canada's hemp and 40% of the nation's hemp seed.[2] Alberta is generally arid and hemp is grown under irrigation.[3] In 2013, the cultivars in use were from Europe, with experiments with new cultivars suited to prairie climate (X59, CFX-2, CRS-1, Silesia, Canada, and Delores) underway at locations in Canada including Alberta.[4] In 2014, the Finola cultivar, a Finnish cultivar accounting for a third of national production,[5] dominated Alberta's production at 7,400 hectares (18,000 acres).[6]

Legalization

Bill 26 was introduced in November, 2017 and will make cannabis consumption legal for persons 18 years of age and older.[7] The bill received royal assent on December 15, 2017.[8] Under the bill, private retailers may sell cannabis to the public, but online sales are reserved to the provincial government.[9] As early as mid 2017, 45,000 citizens had provided input to Calgary city government for regulations on retail establishments and 60 stakeholders wanted to be part of post-draft regulation process.[10]

The minimum age to use cannabis will be 18 (the federal minimum) which Alberta shares with Quebec, with all other provinces setting the age at 19. Alberta will also allow public smoking of cannabis, to fall under the same restrictions as public smoking of tobacco.[11]

Canadian Cannabis Chamber

The national Canadian Cannabis Chamber is based in Alberta, and is staffed by Jonathan Denis, the province's former Justice Minister, and Rick Hanson, the former police chief of the province's largest city, Calgary.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Bouloc 2013.
  2. ↑ Emmanuel Anum Laate, "Table 1 Hemp Seeded Acreage in Alberta and Canada, 1998 – 2011 and Table 3: Hemp Seeded Acreage in Canada by Province, 1998 – 2011 (Acres)", Industrial Hemp Production in Canada, Economics Branch, Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Alberta Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Development, retrieved 2017-12-24 – via Agriculture and Forestry official website
  3. ↑ Small 2016.
  4. ↑ Shari Narine (October 30, 2013), "Potential of hemp in Alberta grows", Top Crop Manager
  5. ↑ Grassi & McPartland 2017, p. 153.
  6. ↑ "Industrial hemp varieties cultivated in 2014 in Canada", Industrial Hemp Enterprise, Alberta Department of Agriculture and Forestry – via official website
  7. ↑ Michelle Bellefontaine (November 17, 2017), Pot to be sold in Alberta private stores, on government website: Bill addresses how and where cannabis will be distributed, sold and consumed in Alberta., CBC News
  8. ↑ Bill 26: An Act to Control and Regulate Cannabis legislative history, Legislative Assembly of Alberta accessed 2017-12-18
  9. ↑ Chris Nyberg and James Donnelly (November 17, 2017), "Alberta Introduces New Legislation to Regulate Recreational Cannabis", Blake's Business Class, Toronto: Blake, Cassels & Graydon
  10. ↑ Looming legalization spurs 'massive interest' in marijuana retail opportunities in Calgary, CBC News, August 2, 2017
  11. ↑ Alberta unveils marijuana framework, calls for minimum age of 18 to buy - Calgary - CBC News
  12. ↑ GILLIAN STEWARD (November 28, 2017), "Alberta betting on booming marijuana market", Toronto Star

Sources

  • Bouloc, P. (2013). Hemp: Industrial Production and Uses. CAB books. CABI. ISBN 978-1-84593-793-5.
  • Grassi, Gianpaolo; McPartland, John M. (2017), "Chemical and morphological phenotypes in breeding of Cannabis sativa L.", in Chandra, Suman; Lata, Hemant; ElSohly, Mahmoud A., Cannabis sativa L. - Botany and Biotechnology, Springer
  • Small, Ernest (November 2016), "Oilseed: Agronomy", Cannabis: A Complete Guide, CRC Press, ISBN 978-1498761635
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