VAL-D’OR — With the rural caucus raising serious concerns, the Couillard government is wrestling with how to apply the new marijuana law — complaining Ottawa has left too many loose ends in the lap of the province that has to pick up the pieces.

“It’s all well and good to say we’ll get there July 1, but this can’t be settled as fast as this,” Quebec Health Minister Gaétan Barrette told reporters arriving for the opening of a two-day Liberal caucus meeting here.

“It’s not a simple issue. We said it, all the provinces have said it, this is happening too fast. I understand the federal government wants to get this out of the way before the election, but socially it’s going too fast.”

Barrette’s comments reflect the worries expressed by caucus members behind closed doors later in the day at a special afternoon briefing on the government’s options. Ottawa has left the nitty-gritty details of its plan, such as production, sales and consumption rules in the hands of the province.

Sources said some MNAs are siding with the opinion of the medical establishment, which says easy access to marijuana will become a health hazard and want very strict controls. Others favour a looser system.

The minister responsible for the issue, Lucie Charlebois, has already announced the government will table legislation applying the measures this fall. The National Assembly resumes sitting Tuesday.

One MNA who did address the issue to a reporter in public was Guy Bourgeois, who represents the rural riding of Abibiti-East. He said voters in his riding are concerned about too-easy access to pot.

“I would say they are not at ease with this, they are in fact worried,” Bourgeois said in an interview. “There is a huge lack of information.”

Like Barrette, he agreed Ottawa’s plan remains vague on many levels.

“When I speak to members of the Algonquin community (located in Lac-Simon in his riding) they see other very important issues because they have problems in their community already. Having this on top of those problems is a little bit surreal.”