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As the City of Victoria gets ready to debate cracking down on pot shops, former British Columbia lawmakers say the federal government is forcing cities to take the lead on medical marijuana regulation.
Graeme Bowbrick is among four former B.C. attorneys general who backed a coalition in 2011 called Stop the Violence B.C. to regulate and tax marijuana.
Bowbrick says he supports the effort that cities are making to regulate businesses selling pot, but the process is happening "backwards" because Ottawa should have first decriminalized marijuana.
Victoria city council is set to debate a staff report Thursday that recommends getting tough on the city's 18 marijuana-related businesses, of which only seven have business licences.
Mayor Lisa Helps says her biggest concern is that the unregulated sale of pot is harming youth, leading some to suffer from early-onset schizophrenia and psychosis.
The move comes as Vancouver considers a plan to regulate its 80 medical marijuana dispensaries, which are illegal under federal law but have been generally tolerated by police.
