The Ontario government is quietly gearing up for legalized marijuana sales, the Star has learned.

With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau set to allow recreational cannabis use as early as next year, Queen’s Park has begun work on how distribution and retailing will eventually be handled.

Finance Minister Charles Sousa says a working group has been struck comprised of bureaucrats from his department, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of the Attorney General.

“We’re working with the feds. With their commitment to legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana, we are going to work with them,” Sousa said in an interview.

“We’re guided by their commitment, but at the same time we’re having an across-ministry working group. We’ve got senior officials involved. We’ve begun some research and background (work) already in terms of what Ontario’s approach should be,” he said.

“But it’s complex. There’s different viewpoints. There’s different inputs from several ministries. We’re at it. We’re close. But I don’t want to jump the gun on any of this stuff . . . because I want us to take a steady approach as to what’s ultimately going to take place.”

Echoing Premier Kathleen Wynne, who advocates for marijuana sales to be restricted to provincially owned LCBO stores, Sousa said he wanted “to send out the signal” that the era of storefront weed dispensaries is soon coming to an end.

“I, at least, don’t see that being the distribution mechanism. It’s going to have to be controlled,” the treasurer warned.

There are more that 100 illegal dispensaries now operating in Toronto with more popping up weekly despite a recent police crackdown.

“Marijuana possession and trafficking, it’s illegal. Medical users are authorized, but under federal law all marijuana storefront dispensaries are illegal, too,” said Sousa.

Medicinal marijuana is only legally available with a prescription from a medical doctor and supplied by one of 31 federally licensed producers who must deliver the drug via registered mail.

Like Wynne, Sousa does not believe in free-for-all weed retailing.

“Frankly, we’ve got a lot to draw on. We’ve got a lot of experience already when it comes to regulating alcohol, regulating tobacco (and) regulating gaming. I have all these agencies reporting up to me right now relative to this. That is helpful as we proceed in this discussion,” the finance minister said.

“It is early and it’s not really clear yet how it will unfold and what options we’ll use. There’s a lot of options that are being made available that are being examined and all of them have implications,” he said.

“In terms of speculating where it’s going to be distributed or the impact fiscally, my concern right now is ensuring that a framework is in place (and) the ministries are engaged.”

Genevieve Tomney, a spokesperson for the LCBO, said the 650-outlet agency is closely monitoring developments at Queen’s Park and in Ottawa.

“Should decriminalization of recreational marijuana occur at the federal level, LCBO would take direction from the provincial government as to any role it may have in retailing cannabis,” said Tomney.

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“It is premature to speculate as to what that role may be, but we are paying close attention to the process as it unfolds and reviewing publicly available information that may help us if given this added responsibility,” she said.

Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union that represents LCBO workers, has said government-owned liquor stores are the safest place to sell marijuana.

Thomas has noted the LCBO’s secure warehouses and well-trained staff are best equipped to keep legalized weed out of the hands of underage Ontarians.

Former Toronto police chief Bill Blair, now the Liberal MP for Scarborough Southwest, is currently at work on updating Canada’s cannabis laws.

Blair has praised the licensed producers and warned of the dangers of the profiteering storefront drug dealers.

Blair has also expressed support for marijuana retailing to be limited to the LCBO.

In January, he noted that it is “very difficult” for a youth to buy booze in Ontario.

“You’re going to come up against a government employee who’s got regulations to enforce and is going to ask for identification and if a person’s underage, they’re not going to be able to buy that,” said Blair.

“And that’s a far better way to regulate access (to marijuana) for kids than leaving it up to some criminal in a stairwell. Frankly, in most urban centres across this country, it is far easier for a kid, an underaged youth, to acquire marijuana than it is to acquire alcohol.”

Proponents of continued sales at dispensaries have argued they are merely providing medicine to their customers.