Tourists will need place to consume cannabis on P.E.I., finance minister says

People on P.E.I., including tourists, will need a place where they can consume cannabis after it becomes legal on Oct. 17, says the province's finance minister.

Heath MacDonald said he expects that designated consumption areas will be the next phase of the legalization process on P.E.I.

"If you look at our tourism aspect of it, and I give you an example of four cruise ships in Charlottetown last week, if one per cent of that 8,000 passengers decided they wanted to consume cannabis, the first question they're going to ask is ... 'Is this legal?'" said the minister.

"The second question is, 'Where can I go?'"

People won't be allowed to use the drug in public places, according to provincial regulations. The province has said it will let hotel operators decide whether they'll allow cannabis use in their rooms.

"We're going to require spaces where people can actually go and utilize cannabis," MacDonald said in an interview Thursday on CBC News: Compass.

MacDonald said the province is well prepared for the legalization of cannabis, but expects there will be some "bumps in the road."

"Like any new business, we have to be focused and try to make any changes that require changes as we move forward," he said. "This is a whole cultural shift."

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