Government commits to allow private retail stores 6 months after legalization.

Private retail cannabis stores will be left out of the legal cannabis market in the Northwest Territories when the drug becomes legal, but the door is open for them to get in six months after that.

MLAs rejected an amendment to the territorial government's cannabis legislation Thursday that would have required the finance minister to keep the door open for private cannabis stores as soon as legalization happened.

But a so-called "compromise" motion presented following that vote did pass.

It allows the government to designate any store it deems "in the public interest" and calls for the development of criteria for judging public interest within six months of legalization.

During the debate, Health Minister Glen Abernethy announced that the government intends to issue licences to potential cannabis retailers at that time.   

The cabinet along with regular MLAs Michael Nadli, Danny McNeely, and Herb Nakimayak, voted against the original motion; defeating the seven regular MLAs who supported it.

For at least the first six months after legalization, seven liquor stores in six communities will be licensed to sell cannabis in the territory. The remaining communities without a liquor store would use a mail or online order system for legal cannabis.

MLA Tom Beaulieu came out as a passionate supporter of private sales, accusing the government of setting up a two-tier system: one for large, regional centres and another for small communities.

"I can't believe people would be so ignorant as to believe not having a store would prevent people from smoking cannabis, it's unbelievable," Beaulieu said. "Marijuana's been in the Northwest Territories since at least the '60s."

Beaulieu, who represents small communities in the South Slave region of the territory, compared alcohol and marijuana and the effects of the drugs.

"People don't smoke marijuana and commit heinous crimes, that's a fact. People can't dispute that, not here. Not anywhere," he said.

"If you're in a fly-in community you'll have to pay $700 or $800 if you want to purchase legal pot — that's in addition to the cost of the pot itself," he said.  

Mail order and online orders for legal cannabis would also help alleviate some of those concerns, Justice Minister Louis Sebert said in response.

Sebert described the bill as a "compromise" considering the tight timeline given the federal government to develop it.

"Yes this bill, bill 6 is a compromise, but we feel it is a reasonable compromise, under the circumstances," he said. "With the time pressure, we have responded, we have consulted and I believe bill 6 is the appropriate legislation."

MLAs came up with 22 amendments to the bill, including nine developed by the Justice Department, two from MLA Kevin O'Reilly, and 11 from the committee of the regular MLAs who reviewed the bill.