Vernon City Hall continues to walk a line of uncertainty over how and where marijuana might be legally purchased in the city.
While Ottawa is on board with legalizing the sale of marijuana, the province is yet to work out the rules for its retail availability.
As a result, all B.C. communities are left in a zoning bylaw quandary on how to proceed.
In response on Monday, council gave first reading to bylaw 5000 amendments limiting the sale of cannabis in Vernon retail outlets to provide some legal clarification until the province mandates how and where marijuana is to be sold.
The city has already moved to permit temporary business licenses to cannabis dispensaries operational prior to Nov. 14, 2017. That move will preclude any qualifying dispensaries to be grandfathered in as legal non-conforming once the regulations are finalized.
Otherwise, the amendments preclude the location of pot dispensaries in convenience stores, general retail stores, liquor stores, service retail businesses or mobile street vendors pending further direction from the province.
Related: Vernon looks to close cannabis shops
Kim Flick, director of community development for the City of Vernon, said the province is expected to introduce the playing field rules for selling marijuana by July of this year.
“They kind of gave us half the rules last year and the other half are coming this year. So it puts municipalities in a tough spot not knowing what those rules will ultimately be,” Flick said.
Coun. Scott Anderson said those rules will fall within two extremes — to limit the sale of marijuana to government liquor stores or widespread retail access.
Anderson also introduced a resolution recommending the province grant individual municipalities the jurisdiction to allow or ban cannabis dispensaries from their community.
“I’m not saying I would want to enforce that,” Anderson said. “I just think a community should have the jurisdiction to make that decision.”
Coun. Juliette Cunningham disagreed with Anderson’s motion, saying it was unfair to those people who require access to marijuana for medical purposes.
“I also don’t think that four people on a council (majority vote) should be in a position to make that kind of moral decision,” she said. “A lot of polling has been done on this and it clearly shows that the majority of people polled are in favour of it.”
Coun. Bob Spiers noted council will still have control in its zoning bylaws where marijuana dispensaries can be located, such as not being near schools or playgrounds and how many are allowed on a city block.
“Zoning is still our best weapon for having some control on this,” Spiers said.
A public hearing on the zoning amendments will be heard Monday, Jan. 22, 5:30 p.m., at Vernon City Hall.
