New Brunswick working group suggests 19 as minimum age to buy cannabis

It's nothing short of a sea change in public policy, one with profound implications for everything from Canadian culture and health to border security, road safety and even international relations: legalizing marijuana. Marijuana plants are pictured during a tour of Tweed Inc. in Smiths Falls, Ont., on Thursday, January 21, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

FREDERICTON – A government working group on the legalization of recreational marijuana in New Brunswick is recommending a legal age of 19 to buy it, with sales being done through a Crown corporation model.

Health Minister Victor Boudreau says the group has produced an interim report and will spend the summer gathering public input before reporting to the legislature this fall.

He says the final legal age could be higher than 19.

The New Brunswick Medical Society has recommended the legal age be at least 21.

Boudreau says even if cannabis is sold by NB Liquor, it would likely be through a different store front than the liquor stores.

He says cannabis sales could be good for the provincial economy, but his main concern is dealing with health and public safety.