Premier Kathleen Wynne says the government will have a close hand in pot sales when marijuana is legalized next year — but it may not be the LCBO as she first suggested in 2016.

Wynne said Thursday there will have to be “some kind of regulatory role” for the Ontario government when it comes to the sale of legal weed. The province launched a series of consultations on legalization this week gathering public feedback on the legal age to buy pot and the appropriate vendor for marijuana.

Weed is set to become legal in July 2018 and the federal government has tasked each province with coming up with its own regulations for the substance.

“I happen to be someone who believes that having that regulatory framework in place is a good thing and will allow us to protect the public and particularly protect youth,” Wynne said.

Pressed about whether that will mean a government-run agency, if not the LCBO itself, selling legal weed, Wynne said the province will play a role in distribution.

“Some kind of government role, some kind of government regulatory role, that is what I expect we will bring forward,” she said.

Last December, Premier Wynne mused about the possibility of having the LCBO sell pot from its retail outlets.

“It makes sense to me that the liquor distribution mechanism that we have in place — the LCBO — is very well suited to putting in place the social responsibility aspects that would need to be in place,” Wynne told reporters at the time.

On Monday, Wynne said the emphasis on the new Ontario framework would be placed on protecting youth.

“My bottom line is this has to be about public safety,” she said. “It has to be about protection of youth. We have look at other jurisdictions and what lessons we can learn from (them) and make those decisions judiciously.”

sjeffords@postmedia.com