Courtenay council has asked for a staff report to provide a cursory look at business licensing and zoning regulations pertaining to marijuana.
The Cannabis Act, Bill C-45, is looking to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Criminal Code. Next summer, it appears the federal government will legalize marijuana. But until then, pot is illegal.
“We don’t have zoning to allow it,” Coun. Doug Hillian said Monday. He suggests waiting to see which direction the federal government takes, and how the province plans to regulate cannabis use. “This, to me, is a more difficult issue than it seems.”
Coun. Erik Eriksson hopes there will be province-wide zoning regulations, rather than separate bylaws among municipalities.
Hillian said the City has no idea about quality control of street product, or how to determine if product sold is meeting standards. On the other hand, he recognizes there are residents who require medicinal marijuana for medical reasons.
As does the RCMP, which supports efforts to ensure such individuals permitted by Health Canada have access to medicinal pot. As it stands, however, regulations do not provide blanket legality to produce or use marijuana.
Last Thursday — for the second time in eight days — police raided the Leaf Compassion Dispensary on Fourth Street. Two individuals were arrested. After the first raid on Oct. 2, City Hall received numerous calls and emails from supporters of Leaf Compassion — which urged people to do so via its Facebook page.
