Those who hoped to eat pot cookies at outdoor concerts and other public gatherings appear to be out of luck.

Premier Brian Pallister said Friday that his government will make it illegal to consume marijuana edibles in most public spaces. Pallister said he believes current legislation will block that use but, if it doesn’t, his government will amend the law to fix that.

“We will have to look at, probably, the wording through an amendment, if necessary. The intention of the law is very clear that we are making illegal the public consumption (of cannabis),” said Pallister.

The federal government is set to legalize the sale of marijuana edibles in mid-December. The sale of non-medicinal cannabis dried flowers and oils became legal in October 2018.

Manitoba’s current cannabis laws ban recreational smoking or vaping of the drug in virtually all outdoor public spaces, including beaches, parks, streets, sidewalks, outdoor entertainment venues and other spots. Smoking and vaping were also banned in most indoor public places, leaving smoking pretty much confined to private homes and yards.

Initial provincial laws didn’t, however, explicitly impose the same ban on the other forms of marijuana consumption, such as cannabis edibles, oils and sprays.

But the premier said discussions are already underway to ensure there’s no loophole for that form of public consumption when the December changes kick in.

“There are already rules against that. I think that the confusion might be around baking your own cookies versus buying cookies retail. (It) wouldn’t matter. You can’t go to the park and eat them,” said Pallister.

The Progressive Conservative government has previously expressed concern that people may be more likely to over-consume when ingesting cannabis edibles than when they smoke the drug.

NDP leader Wab Kinew said he believes the rules could be more flexible for events like Folk Fest and other outdoor concerts, however, since edibles produce one less health risk to those who aren’t directly ingesting them.

“I think that there can be flexibility when it comes to edibles because I think they’re a bit different than when you smoke weed. The difference is there’s not the second-hand smoke harming another person,” said Kinew.

The NDP leader stressed that he supports prohibiting all forms of marijuana consumption near schools and playgrounds, as well as strict laws meant to prevent drugged driving.