Canadian PM Candidate Wants Legal Dispensaries

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Justin Trudeau, a candidate for prime minister of Canada, came to the defense of dispensaries and reiterated his vow to legalize recreational marijuana should he be elected.

During a stop in Winnipeg, Trudeau said medical marijuana storefronts like one that local police shut down last week should be allowed to operate even thought they currently illegal under federal law, according to news reports.

The country’s new MMJ regulations – enacted in 2013 – stipulate that medical marijuana can only be purchased from licensed producers, processors and sellers who then mail it to patients.

Trudeau told news outlets that Canada needs a system to control and regulate medical marijuana that includes licensed dispensaries, adding that the country’s leaders can learn from the system in the U.S.

Dispensaries still exist in several cities in Canada, mostly in the western part of the country.

The Vancouver City Council has gone so far as to issue a bylaw regulating storefronts even though the federal government doesn’t consider them legal. Victoria, British Columbia, also is crafting laws governing dispensaries.