One of the hottest topics across the nation in recent months was brought up in Swift Current city council last night.

A late add to the docket by Swift Current Mayor Denis Perrault was a report regarding cannabis.

The report confirmed that Swift Current wouldn't opt-out of its chance to house two marijuana stores and also opened the floor to council members to speak about the soon-to-be-legal drug.

Tim Marcus, the chief administrative officer with the City of Swift Current, said council had some debate on whether to allow retailers in, but in the end decided towards the retailers.

"The general consensus is that if you opt-out, you're just going to create other problems," he said after city council Monday evening. "Since it's being legalized, we might as well allow the two retail outlets."

The City won't have much say on who receives the two licences from Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA), but they can introduce bylaws on where the pot shops are set up.

"Two things, there is the retail, that is the two outlets being allowed for the City, that is being targetted for the downtown area," he explained. "Then there is also if someone wants to set up a manufacturing facility, where they would grow and process it for sale to retail outlets, that we would restrict that to the industrial area."

Marcus added that they have received calls from people inquiring about the two licences but the City has forwarded them to the SLGA.

One of the issues that surrounds cannabis legalization is enforcement and the possible extra costs associated with that.

"We haven't pegged what that cost would be, simply from the standpoint that none of the legislation has been finalized," Marcus stated. "So we aren't really sure what and how we're going to enforce. I'd say that any estimates that have been provided have been a pretty liberal guess."

Next up for the City on the marijuana front will be a planning session in later March to best prepare the rules in regulations for Swift Current. With the extra time, the City is hoping to get more clarity from the federal and provincial governments on how to move forward.

"In our planning session with council, we will be discussing that information," he said. "Then depending on the direction they provide, then be proceeding with how we're going to form our bylaws and it will come forward in a regular council meeting."

During the planning session, Marcus expects a discussion to take place about if the City should weight public input and if so, with surveys or opinions.