Attention cannabis shoppers in Manitoba: here are the rules By: Solomon Israel Posted: 5:13 PM CDT Thursday, Sep. 13, 2018 Last Modified: 5:33 PM CDT Thursday, Sep. 13, 2018 Updates

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This article was published 12/09/2018 (2298 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Legal cannabis store operators in Manitoba finally have their rulebook, which was released Thursday by the province’s cannabis retail regulator, the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba (LGCA).

Stores will have to keep all marijuana packages under lock and key, and out of sight behind a counter or on covered shelves — but they can list products and prices on signage. People under the age of 19 won’t be allowed to enter or work at cannabis stores, which will be allowed to operate between the hours of 8 a.m. and midnight.

“It’s actually based on the same hours for retail liquor stores in the province,” LGCA chief administrative officer Elizabeth Stephenson told reporters at the legislature on Thursday.

Licensed weed shops will only be allowed to sell cannabis supplied by the province’s wholesaler, the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation. Store workers can show customers a sample of those heady wares, but only if the display cannabis is kept in a secured container.

Customers won’t be allowed to open a package of cannabis until they’ve finished buying it, and licensed stores can’t allow customers to use cannabis in the store. Store employees are also prohibited from selling cannabis to someone who’s intoxicated, or to anyone they suspect might re-sell the cannabis illegally.

If a customer is asked to prove they’re older than 19, acceptable identification will include valid passports, driver’s licences, Manitoba Public Insurance ID cards, a federal Indian status card, or two pieces of government ID with at least one showing a photograph of the customer.

Even though federal cannabis legislation will permit the sale of live cannabis plants and seeds, licensed retailers in Manitoba won’t be allowed to sell those products since the provincial government has banned home cannabis cultivation.

Licensed cannabis stores in Manitoba will also have to operate continuous video surveillance inside and outside the store, and keep all recordings for a year. Stephenson said Manitoba cannabis stores will not be required to keep written records of who buys their products.

Background checks for cannabis store employees will put “the emphasis and onus on the employer,” Stephenson said.

“They need to make sure that they do their own due diligence, and their own records checks, and their own background checks to ensure that the people that are working in their facilities are able to ensure the integrity and safety of the supply of cannabis, and ensure that they don’t have serious criminal record concerns.”

Theoretically, someone with a criminal record could be approved to work in a legal cannabis store, Stephenson said.

“If they have a series of egregious criminal behaviours, obviously they would not be in a position to be employed. However, if say 20 years ago, they had a youthful indiscretion, then we would expect employers to use their better judgment.”

Any cannabis retailer’s employment policy is subject to review by the LGCA, Stephenson added.

“We’re very conscious of the fact that we don’t want to prevent people who are legitimate members of our society from getting work if their employer feels that it’s reasonable for them to do so.”

The new regulations from LGCA will also let legal cannabis stores set up delivery services that can operate from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., or contract out delivery to a third party. Licensees will have to ensure deliveries are signed for by a recipient who’s at least 19 years old, and who doesn’t appear to be intoxicated. Any cannabis that can’t be delivered will not be resold, and will have to be returned to the store for disposal.

“It’s really important that the integrity of the… cannabis be maintained, and so that’s something that we’ve looked at,” said Stephenson. “It may be something that we change down the road.”

solomon.israel@freepress.mb.ca

@sol_israel