Anyone 19 years old and up will be able to buy recreational marijuana in B.C. once it害羞草研究所檚 legalized next July.

The province has announced it would set the legal minimum age at 19, in line with alcohol and tobacco.

害羞草研究所淲e know the largest consumers of cannabis are young people in that 19- to 30-year-old age range,害羞草研究所� said Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth. 害羞草研究所淚f you set [the age] to high, at say 25, you害羞草研究所檙e not going to be able to get rid of that black market.害羞草研究所�

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Also like alcohol, wholesale distribution of recreational pot will be handled by the BC Liquor Distribution Branch.

The drug will also be sold by both public and private retailers, although Farnworth said the government hadn害羞草研究所檛 yet decided whether or not they would place marijuana on the same shelf as booze.

害羞草研究所淓very other province is going through a provincial system,害羞草研究所� he said, 害羞草研究所渁nd it allows us a significant control, which the public has said is important.害羞草研究所�

Farnworth did not go further into taxation, zoning, local government input or what exactly the retail model will look, saying those details will come early next year.

The province is 害羞草研究所渁cutely害羞草研究所� aware, he added, that a too-high price won害羞草研究所檛 be able to knock out the black market.

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He did express optimism that the federal government had 害羞草研究所渂acked off害羞草研究所� its 50-50 taxation split, but said B.C. was not relying on revenue from taxation yet, citing startup costs and indecision from Ottawa.

Tuesday害羞草研究所檚 announcement comes after several weeks of public consultation that collected input from nearly 50,000 British Columbians, as well as submissions from 141 local and Indigenous governments.

Troy, the manager of Vancouver害羞草研究所檚 Lime Life Society who did not want his last name published, said the proposed regulations are overbearing for an industry that he says has done fine on its own.

害羞草研究所淭he plan to sell it in liquor stores is completely unfeasible and unreasonable,害羞草研究所� he told Black Press. 害羞草研究所淯nfortunately, it害羞草研究所檚 people making decisions about products and services they don害羞草研究所檛 know much about, or aren害羞草研究所檛 educated on.

害羞草研究所淗opefully, anything they do will be challenged with Charter of Rights and Freedoms challenge.害羞草研究所�

The federal bill to legalize and regulate marijuana, introduced in early 2017, in the House of Commons last week.

It now moves to the Senate, where it is likely to face heavy opposition from Conservatives who argue legalization should be delayed because the process is being rushed.

: Province to set age for recreational marijuana use at 19, go with a wholesale distribution model and have private and public retail outlets. More details to come in 2018

害羞草研究所� Kat Slepian (@katslepian)