Premier Brian Pallister voiced his concerns about the timeline for cannabis legalization at the Western Premiers Conference in Yellowknife on Wednesday.

In a conference call, Pallister said it’s important to approve an oral screening device that would check for impaired driving before July 1, the day cannabis is legalized.

“We can’t move ahead with legalization of a substance and put ourselves in the bizarre situation of not being able to have the police equipped to know if drivers are impaired in their driving. That would be not only dangerous but bizarre,” he said. 

If those issues don’t get addressed, the premier said he may call for a time delay at the National Premiers Conference.

Pallister noted that the Trans Mountain Pipeline was the most divisive issue at the meeting with the Western premiers.