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WINNIPEG — Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister signalled Monday that the province’s private sector will be involved in the distribution of marijuana when recreational use is legalized next July.

Pallister said details of the provincial plan to govern cannabis would be released Tuesday. He rejected earlier statements from the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union that sales should be done exclusively through government-run stores.

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Pallister said there will be some sort of a “hybrid option” — public-sector regulation and distribution combined with private-sector delivery — that could take business away from the existing black market.

“People want to have access and selection and customer service, and these are things the private sector has developed a reputation for,” Pallister said.

“Our plan … will protect Manitobans and also help us to make sure that we’re getting the gangs out of this business as fast as we can.”