The good news is that MHAs will be allowed to buy cannabis. The better news is that it won’t be on the public dime.
As it stands, an MHA can purchase food, non-alcoholic beverages and other minor goodies for constituency work and get a full reimbursement from the taxpayer.
Any purchases of alcohol, however, are paid for out of pocket by MHAs.
With cannabis due to be legalized — eventually — the House of Assembly Management Commission decided on Wednesday that cannabis should be treated the same way as alcohol.
While MHAs will be able to light up like any other law-abiding citizen once legalization takes place, taxpayers won’t feel the burn.
Anywhere alcohol appears in the reimbursement rules, cannabis will be included, Speaker Perry Trimper says.
“We did a search for alcohol, and where we found alcohol, another soon-to-be legalized substance called cannabis will also not be eligible for compensation under the member’s expenses,” said Trimper.
The recommendation came forward from former Department of Justice deputy minister Todd Stanley.
Because Stanley alone put forward the motion, it could not be considered a joint submission.
Twitter: DavidMaherNL
