Marijuana will be legal, we don't know exactly when but that time is approaching and communities will be the ones who could see the most impact.  Local police and RCMP are expected to be the busiest when it comes to enforcement, inspections and follow ups but nobody knows what the potential cost is going to be.

That's a concern for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and so, they've put out a guideline for their members across the country that include the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association. They guide touches on a number of different topics saying the local government is going to be the first point of contact for residents who have concerns or questions about changes that are in the works.

"From preventing people from smoking near schools, to ensuring that cannabis production happens safely and mandating where cannabis businesses will be able to operate, local governments must set the rules that will impact the way legalization affects people." explains the FCM website before laying out a 52 page report.

"Getting this right is a big job." said FCM President Jenny Gerbasi. "Local governments will face significant new enforcement and operational challenges in the months and years ahead. And those challenges don’t end with policing. There is a world of bylaws to develop and business licensing rules to review. There are processes to adopt across as many as 17 municipal departments. And that’s where this guide comes in."

SUMA President Gordon Barnhart says this is such a new thing that and legalization affects all municipalities, even if they don't have a retailer, since they still have to deal with enforcement.

You can read more about the guideline here.