Communities can delay but not opt out of pot shops, says Ontario government

Communities across Ontario cannot opt out of hosting a government-run pot shop if they are selected for a site.

Ontario's Ministry of Finance says that if a community is selected to host one of the cannabis shops it could delay hosting the store but cannot completely opt out of having it.

Earlier this week, a committee of the City of Richmond Hill unanimously endorsed a statement saying it was not willing to host one of the retail stores.

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario, which will run the shops through a subsidiary, hopes to open its first batch of 40 stores by July 2018, when the federal government's legislation to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana use is expected to come into effect.

The province plans to set up approximately 150 stand-alone cannabis stores by 2020.

Ontario was the first province to announce a detailed plan to sell and distribute recreational marijuana and will set the legal age to purchase it at 19.