EDMONTON – Alberta is putting the legislative pieces in place for legalized marijuana, starting with changes to align its rules with pending Criminal Code amendments.
Transportation Minister Brian Mason introduced the changes in the legislature, with more rules on how cannabis will be sold in Alberta coming Thursday.
Legalized marijuana is set to begin on July 1, and the federal government is revising and toughening up criminal charges for impaired driving to include cannabis and mixing cannabis with alcohol while behind the wheel.
Alberta imposes penalties on top of Criminal Code charges when someone is charged with driving with over a .08 blood-alcohol level.
Normally, an Alberta driver caught over .08 has also had their driver’s licence suspended until the case was resolved in court, but a recent court ruling said that penalty was unfair and unconstitutional.
Under the bill, it will now be a fixed-term suspension of 90 days, but it could be extended to a year if the driver doesn’t agree to participate in an ignition interlock program.
