Premier Brian Pallister believes legalizing marijuana is a very serious issue and should not be rushed.

The Trudeau government will legalize marijuana by July 1, 2018, which means the province will need to have policies in place to deal with the sales and distribution of the product.

However, Pallister feels that the federal government should give provinces more time, especially when it comes to dealing with youth and road safety.

"Studies have shown that a significant majority of young people don't think that it's going to affect their driving badly to consume marijuana and then drive, and yet the studies also show that that is not true," he said.   

Pallister believes rushing legalization could be risky for people who choose to use the product, as well as those who do not.

"Public safety is the key thing, and that's the reason that we've encouraged the other provinces, and several of them have said the same thing as Manitoba in respect of this, that this is a rush and shouldn't be rushed," said Pallister.

He believes the Cannabis Harm Prevention Act, which was introduced in the Manitoba legislature this spring, will help address safety issues.

"We're doing our best. We've already introduced a Cannabis Harm Prevention Act, which is meant to ensure that police agencies are better equipped to deal with drug-impaired drivers, and we're taking other steps to get ready as best we can," said Pallister.