Amherstburg council has given a thumbs up to cannabis cafes and special occasion permits to allow cannabis at events like festivals and concerts.
The province has asked municipalities what they'd like to see locally and the town will be sending a report stating marijuana consumption should be handled no differently than alcohol consumption.
This from councillor Peter Courtney who says, whether you're in agreement or not, pot is now legal and should be treated as such.
"The majority of council said, "Listen, it's legal, let's move forward with it." Let's just get as much information as we can to the government with our stipulations and hopefully they listen to them. Then when it's unrolled we get to see some self-governance and some opportunity to take care of the concerns of the residents if there may be any at that point."
He says there's still a lot of work that needs to be done.
"It's uncharted waters right now. I don't know how the government is going to unfold this. I'm curious to see and hopefully they do all their homework, which I would assume they would, and then when it's presented to us all the T's are crossed and all the I's are dotted."
Amherstburg council seen on March 9, 2020 (Photo by AM800's Zander Broeckel)
Courtney says, ultimately, the province will have the final say.
"It's kind of out of our hands right now and that's why I'm at peace moving forward. Let's just give them the information and concerns that we have. At the end of the day, they're the legal entity right? So if they say this is what we're allowing, these are the restrictions, this is who is enforcing it, our hands are tied anyway. So let's just get some feedback in there."
The town's report will now go to the province which is working on a strategy for public cannabis consumption.
Because the no-smoking by-law still applies in the province, smoking pot would not be allowed in the cafes or special events — only edibles.
Last month, the Ontario government launched a public consultation to gather input on consumption venues and special occasion permits for public events.
No timeline has been set as to when the new rules may be rolled out.