British Columbia’s public and stakeholder engagement on the legalization and regulation of non-medical cannabis — one of the most engaging in B.C.’s history — is now complete.

An unprecedented number of people shared their opinions to help shape the way non-medical cannabis will be regulated in B.C.

After five weeks of being live, the BC Cannabis Regulation Engagement website saw 127,952 visits, with 48,151 British Columbians filling out the feedback form and providing their views on topics such as minimum age, personal possession limits, public consumption, drug-impaired driving, personal cultivation, and distribution and retail models. As well, 800 opinions were received from a representative cross-section of British Columbians through a random telephone survey.

During this time, government also received over 130 written submissions from organizations including local governments, school districts, cannabis industry, advocacy groups and law enforcement.

Engagement with local governments, Indigenous governments and organizations, and stakeholders from law enforcement, health, agriculture and other sectors is ongoing. In addition, the Province and Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) have established a Joint Provincial-Local Government Committee on Cannabis Regulation made up of 12 representatives from UBCM and provincial representatives from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

The feedback collected through this engagement  process will help ensure the provincial regulatory framework for non-medical cannabis reflects the needs and values of British Columbians, while prioritizing the protection of young people, health and safety, keeping the criminal element out of cannabis and keeping roads safe.

Over the next few weeks, the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General will review and analyze the feedback received and create a summary report on what was heard that will be made available to the public.

Quotes:

Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General –

“I’d like to thank everyone who participated in our various engagements regarding cannabis legalization over the last five weeks. It’s now our job to do the hard work, take your feedback and perspectives and use them to develop a responsible, made-in-B.C. approach to regulating non-medical cannabis that maximizes public health and safety.”

Quick Facts:

• 127,952 people visited the BC Cannabis Regulation Engagement website between Sept. 25, 2017, and Nov. 1, 2017, spending an average of 10 minutes on the site.
• More than 48,000 British Columbians responded to the online survey about non-medical cannabis.
• 800 British Columbians provided their opinions through a random telephone survey.
• Over 130 organizations provided written submissions via the BC Cannabis Engagement website.
• The Province and the Union of BC Municipalities’ Joint Provincial-Local Government Committee on Cannabis Regulation will continue to engage during the development of the regulatory framework for legalized non-medical cannabis. 

Learn More:

To read more about the engagement process or to download stakeholder submissions, visit:
http://engage.gov.bc.ca/BCcannabisregulation/