The clock is ticking for municipal leaders to take a stance on the impending legalization of marijuana.
    
Officials were left scrambling last week after the Government of Manitoba said municipalities had three weeks, until December 22, to decide whether they will allow marijuana to be sold in their communities when it becomes legal next July.

Martin Harder, Mayor for the City of Winkler, also serves as Chairman for the Pembina Valley Reeves and Mayors group. He said officials will meet shortly to discuss these latest developments and he hopes that a regional solution can be achieved.

"Our problem simply is that you're buying a house and you don't even know if it has a bathroom, and you're supposed to make that decision. Nobody would do that," he said.

The province's latest announcement also gives municipalities the power to regulate local retail sales including where the outlets can be located.

Harder said however, there's more to consider.

"Let's be clear here, this is not just simply about distribution. This is also about production because that hasn't been decided either, other than the fact that Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries is going to be the wholesaler," he explained. "The producers are going to be maybe private companies...it probably won't be government, so it'll flow through Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries and then flow through the distributor, or retailer."

Harder added this subject has been a struggle for some municipalities to deal with and said it comes down to how to manage it.

"We know it (marijuana) is in our community, we're not arguing any of that, we are not naive that we're not thinking that it's there. And for a community to say 'No we will not allow it to be visibly available in the community', is going to be a very difficult thing," he explained. "You're ultimately saying 'We want to push it back into hiding,' and distribute it in ways that obviously aren't legal and probably will continue to be."

Harder is welcoming ratepayer input and direction leading up to the upcoming PVRAM meeting.