Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has promised to crack down on second-hand sales and to close the grey market.
She said Wednesday her party would make it a crime to sell marijuana and crack down harder on those who use the drug.
“We’ve been clear from the beginning that we want to eliminate the grey markets that exist today.
We want to end the profit for drug dealers, but we’re going to make it illegal to sell it to kids,” she said.
The Ontario NDP is calling for a complete ban on marijuana and a five-year ban on any kind of sale of the drug in the province.
Her promise comes after several weeks of heated debate over whether the Liberals have enough support to form government.
Horgan said she’s willing to put forward legislation that includes a ban on sales of marijuana in Ontario to protect children, but said she wants to see the province’s new Liberal government implement a new system to regulate the industry.
There are currently 10 licensed producers in Ontario, and more than 30 others licensed to sell pot in other provinces, including Quebec, British Columbia and New Brunswick.
Ontario has a $2.2 billion industry in the marijuana business, with the government selling about $500 million worth of the product each year.
If approved, the proposed bill would create a task force to review the current regulations and develop a new regulatory framework that includes stronger penalties for those who break the law.
It would also set up a national registry to track pot sales and a new public safety department to monitor the situation and prosecute offenders.
The bill would also make it mandatory for producers to obtain a licence before they can begin selling.
Currently, producers must obtain a license and pay a fee of $50,000.
They must also be certified by a government-appointed board.
This is to ensure that the people who make marijuana products are not using illegal means to make their profits, Horwathan said.
Ontario’s Liberal government has so far been unable to secure enough support for the legislation, but Horwatha said she was hopeful the new government would act on her demand.
NDP Leader Andrea Leadsom speaks at the start of the Queen’s Speech in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Wednesday, March 3, 2020.
The government has said it will consider new legislation in the coming weeks.
Last year, the Liberals introduced the Liberals Cannabis Act that included an ambitious plan to legalize recreational pot in Ontario.
Under the proposed law, pot would be sold in licensed retail stores that would have to meet strict security requirements and would have strict security controls.
In addition, licensed producers would be allowed to grow cannabis for personal use, but would be required to provide a licence to any new recreational pot plants they produced.