HALIFAX — Legislation governing legalized cannabis in Nova Scotia is moving ahead, despite calls from several health groups for the Liberal government to strengthen provisions governing where the drug can be smoked in public.
The legislature’s law amendments committee was told Monday that rules around the public consumption of marijuana under the new Cannabis Control Act should be the same as those for open alcohol, meaning smoking would be banned in all outdoor public spaces.
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The government has said it is expanding the Smoke-free Places Act to ban smoking or vaping of cannabis near playgrounds, publicly owned sport and recreation sites, public trails, and provincial parks and beaches—except within a rented campsite.
But groups such as the Lung Association of Nova Scotia, Injury Free Nova Scotia and the IWK Children’s Hospital say those restrictions don’t go far enough, and send the wrong message about the health effects of smoking cannabis in public.
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