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This article was published 20/8/2018 (767 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cannabis legalization could cost Manitoba's health department as much as $7 million in the first year, according to preliminary estimates provided to the health minister this summer.

The civil service briefing note, dated June 18 outlining the estimated cost was obtained by the Manitoba NDP and shared with the Free Press. The $7 million figure represents roughly 0.001 per cent of the overall $6.2-billion health budget.

The estimate includes $315,000 to $1.17 million for "hospitalization due to overdose."

"(The department) expects cannabinoid-related hospitalizations to increase after (legalization) when retail cannabis and homemade edibles are legalized, and possibly again when edibles become available in retail settings," says the briefing document.

"Pediatric hospitalization due to accidental overdose (is) also expected to increase as more Manitobans begin making and storing edibles and other cannabis products."

The department can expect to pay an additional $1 million every year for addictions treatment related to legalization, the document states, saying the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba plans on a five per cent increase in demand for treatment services.

"Surveillance and monitoring" could cost $130,000 annually, says the document. The department will hire two part-time students to help its monitoring branch "create a surveillance system and reporting template on cannabis-related indicators." It expects it will need to add a new permanent position to monitor the effects of cannabis legalization in the province.

The yearly bill for public education campaigns will amount to $2.1 million, according to the estimates, which includes "a strong, multi-faceted campaign" across multiple media.

RICHARD VOGEL / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES The province will need $500,000 to hire five public health inspectors who would enforce prohibitions at outdoor patios, entertainment events, concerts, festivals, sporting events and bars.

The province will need an additional $500,000 to hire five public health inspectors. Those inspectors "could be required to enforce prohibitions (on cannabis use) in areas such as outdoor patios, outdoor entertainment events, concerts, festivals, sporting events, bars, patios, youth sports venues, and so forth."

Finally, the department estimated it needs at least $2.1 million more over five years "to improve the knowledge base of physicians, nurse practitioners, and other professionals," and to cover increased calls to the Health Links telephone information service and poison control hotline.

The estimates were provided in June to former health minister Kelvin Goertzen, who has since been replaced by Cameron Friesen in a cabinet shuffle. The advisory note to the minister describes the estimates as "very conservative," and notes that "costs will most likely be significantly higher."

NDP health critic Andrew Swan said the PC government has been "really reluctant to come forward with any estimates of the real costs and the real revenues that they anticipate."

"We know that this is new territory, but the finance minister. in particular. has been really difficult and has refused to provide any kind of details as to what revenue they expect to receive and how that's to be allocated," said Swan.

In a statement, Finance Minister Scott Fielding said the province "is still working to determine all of the associated costs, including various regulatory, health care and addictions, education and public safety costs."

"Work is underway to inform the budget process for 2019, and we have asked all government departments, (Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries) and municipalities to track their costs during the first year of legalization," said Fielding.

Earlier this summer, Heather Stefanson, who was justice minister at the time, told business leaders that "the costs associated with regulation and enforcement will largely outweigh revenue opportunities."

"The costs associated with this are significant, and until we have a chance to gauge what that will be, that’s why we’ve taken what I believe... is a responsible approach here, not to indicate any kind of revenues associated with this at all, because we believe that those costs will outweigh those revenues," she said.

solomon.israel@freepress.mb.ca@sol_israel