The City of Mississauga decided at its Council meeting on December 12, that it will opt out and not allow privately-operated cannabis retail stores in Mississauga. Council made the decision to opt out as it was felt the recent changes to the retail cannabis model occurred too quickly and there are many unanswered questions. The province has not given municipalities any control over where cannabis stores can be located in Mississauga.
As the request of Council, our Mayor, Bonnie Crombie, will be writing a letter to the province to explain our Council’s decision to opt-out and will be asking for greater powers for municipalities to have input into the location and the number of retail stores that are allowed in the City of Mississauga.
The Government of Ontario gave municipalities until January 22, 2019 to decide whether they will opt in or opt out of having retail cannabis stores.
The production, sale and use of recreational cannabis was legalized in Canada on October 17, 2018. Private cannabis stores will be legal starting April 1, 2019 for municipalities who choose to opt in. Until then, residents can purchase cannabis online from the Ontario Cannabis Store. Residents must be 19 years or older to purchase cannabis in Ontario.
To learn more about recreational cannabis in Mississauga, visit mississauga.ca/cannabis.
