The Cowichan Valley School District board of education will file objections to any site specific zoning of retail cannabis facilities within 300 metres of schools and will review all applications between 300 and 600 metres from schools.
The announcement comes following the school board’s Oct. 1 meeting and is a change from their previous decision to set up a policy calling for the 600-metre pot-free zone around their buildings.
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Policy 20 is based on the recognition “that youth are particularly vulnerable to the health, educational and social problems which are linked to cannabis,” said the board of education newsletter following their meeting. “Cannabis use can change the way that the brain grows and develops up until at least age 25.”
Board of education chair Candace Spilsbury said they wanted to take a “measured and reasonable” approach to cannabis storefronts in relation to SD79 schools.
“We consulted the Vancouver Island Health Authority to help us with this policy to ensure it aligned with their recommendations for best practice,” Spilsbury said.
“We also consulted with our colleagues in local governments throughout the Cowichan Valley to ensure that community voice was heard in the crafting of the policy.”
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