How many marijuana smokers does it take to cloud up a cafe? If it is a small cafe or theatre or art gallery maybe not too many. But Ontario — and Toronto –is about to find out as the Government at Queen’s Park makes it okay for medical marijuana users to light up wherever they happen to be. Any way you say it, there is the potential for many people to be breathing marijuana smoke who don’t want to under this rather surprising bit of legislation. It was all revealed Wednesday afternoon by Dipika Damerla, Ontario’s associate health minister. She may have been ambushed but it is notable that the minister, Dr. Hoskins, (St. Paul’s) was absent for this one.
OWNERS CAN SAY NO
At the same scrum, the associate minister said employers, restaurant owners and presumably theatre owners, have the right to overrule any medical marijuana smoking. The Toronto Star quotes Ms. Damerla as saying: “As an employer or a restaurant owner you can say ‘there’s no vaping, no smoking of medical marijuana here,” she told reporters. If a person were to continue smoking “they are breaking the law.” This interpretation of the regulations seems to open the doors to signs outside saying No Smoking — Of Any Kind. The Opposition leaders seemed wary if not alarmed about the impact on the general public. PC leader Patrick Brown said medical authorization meant that there was not going to be “an overwhelming amount of people” smoking in public. Time will tell if this is true. The potential for medical users to congregate in a cafe where the owner is agreeable seems like a strong possibility.
CAFE OWNERS AS SMOKING COPS
The regulations announced Wednesday will have municipalities scurrying. Unlike the prohibition on tobacco smoking, any potential ban on marijuana smoking seems to now rest with the business owner not with the government. Yes, the police may be called but how willing are countless numbers of such people — chefs and wait staff — to take on the job of policing a ban, even if they wish to see it observed. Business owners, especially restaurant operators, are frequently very busy and reluctant to tell customers what to do. The Government’s decision today seems to place this task on a group of people who may not wish to be so burdened.