Altona residents had a chance to have their questions about cannabis answered Tuesday evening.

The town hosted a live video stream on the topic, ahead of October's scheduled plebiscite on the issue. That referendum will allow residents to determine if they want to allow the retail sale of legal cannabis in their community.

Last night's live stream provided information on the topic of cannabis from a panel of people which included Mayor Al Friesen and town CAO Dan Gagne, Police Chief Perry Batchelor and Jehna Grobety, manager of training and education at Delta-9 Cannabis, a cannabis production company based in Winnipeg. The event also allowed local viewers to pose questions to the participants about cannabis.

One viewer asked why Altona town council decided to allow the retail sale of cannabis in town in the first place. Mayor Al Friesen fielded that query.

"A licensed retail cannabis store in Altona would mean an investment in empty retail space, more local jobs and an increase to the tax base, all the things that support our local economy. We also know that cannabis is already being consumed in our community from a variety of sources, such as the black market which is unregulated, illegal and potentially unsafe. A licensed retail store would provide a safe source of cannabis for those who wish to consume it."

Altona Police Chief Perry Batchelor admits his position on the subject has changed since legislation legalizing marijuana came into effect. Batchelor says initially he had several concerns which included road safety, public consumption and the possible increase in local youth using cannabis.

"I can tell you we are in a better place now than we were prior to legalization on all of those concerns. We now have a strong legal framework that encompasses offences around minors using cannabis or an adult who provides cannabis to a minor. As for road safety ... police now have special training and equipment to deal with those suspected of driving under the effects of cannabis. As for my concerns about public consumption, we have local bylaws and provincial statutes that cover public consumption of cannabis. None of this existed prior to legalization."

Jehna Grobety provided information from an industry perspective on a variety of issues. Grobety outlined the history of cannabis, and discussed the dangers that exist with unregulated cannabis sources purchased through the black market.

She also talked about some of the myths and facts surrounding the product and pointed out that some very successful people are cannabis users. She cited people like actor Morgan Freeman, U.S. Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, Bill Gates the co-founder of Microsoft, Steve Jobs the co-founder of Apple Computers, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson.

"The image of cannabis users being stoners sitting on the couch eating Doritos every night is a very outdated stereotype that is not true of most cannabis users," said Grobety.

Altona CAO Dan Gagne urged Altona residents to cast their vote on this issue in next month's referendum and pointed out that the town has gone to considerable expense to hold the plebiscite.

"We really want to see a high voter turnout. It is an important issue, important enough for 20 per cent of the people to sign a petition. It would be fair to get at least another 20 per cent on the other side of the conversation showing up to vote and that way the community can have a fair say on this important question."

Information on how to vote can be found on the town of Altona website.

Meanwhile, you can watch Tuesday night's Livestream event by clicking here.