(Photo: Quinte News File)
As senior levels of government continue to grapple with the recreational marijuana issue, local chambers of commerce are joining a provincial push for more information on the upcoming policies.
Both the Belleville and Quinte West chambers have signed onto an Ontario Chamber of Commerce letter, asking the Ontario Government to take a deep look at how the drug would be distributed and how it will affect both the business and social sides of the community.
Quinte West Chamber’s Suzanne Andrews tells Quinte News it’s a complex issue and there is lots to look at.
And Belleville Chamber CEO Bill Saunders adds that one of the biggest issues to be looked at, is how to prevent black-market and underground sales of the drug from continuing.
Both chambers stressed that, along with studying financial implications, the health, social and safety aspects of legalization need to be looked at intensely as well.
While there’s no exact timeline on when rules for recreational pot will come out, the Federal Government has said it wants to have a framework in place by spring 2017.
