Article content

Ontario has taken another step toward a world of legalized recreational marijuana, tabling legislation that would hit illegal dispensaries with big fines — and that clears a path for the province’s planned pot stores.

Bill 174 was tabled at Queen’s Park Wednesday, setting out that no one would be allowed to sell recreational marijuana other than the government’s own drug dealer, the new Ontario Cannabis Retail Corp.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Ontario sets stiff fines for illegal dispensaries under new marijuana regime Back to video

The law allows for a name change, but the OCRC will be overseen by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario and have “the exclusive right to sell cannabis in Ontario.”

An individual violating that exclusive right could be fined up to $250,000 or face a jail term of two years less a day, or both. Subsequent convictions could earn a person a fine of up to $100,000 a day, or jail, or both.

If the law passes, companies caught selling cannabis could be fined between $25,000 and $1 million. For every subsequent conviction, they could be fined be between $10,000 and $500,000 a day.