Salmon Arm council heard little resistance to the prospect of retail cannabis sales in the community during a special meeting Monday evening.
At the forum-style meeting conducted at the Prestige Harbourfront Resort, staff provided three approaches the city could take to retail cannabis sales: a closed approach banning retail sales of cannabis within the city’s jurisdiction; a moderately regulated approach where retail sales might be allowed in commercial zones, limited by proximity to like businesses and liquor stores, as well as “sensitive” sites such as schools and daycares; and a highly regulated approach requiring official community plan and zoning amendments. The attending public had an opportunity to say which option they preferred, and speak further to proximities in a questionnaire provided by the city.
The majority of people who took the podium spoke in favour of the moderate approach, though there was a diversity of opinion on proximities.
Dawn Pugh of the Canadian Mental Health Association urged council to expand sensitive sites to include addictions services.
Quinn Foreman said there should be some distance between stores, “because if you go to Vernon now, when you see the main drag, you see about four stores within about two blocks.”
Downtown Vernon business owner John Oh agreed there are a lot of dispensaries, but said he hasn’t seen any ill effects – if anything, he’s seen an increase in traffic.
Salmon Arm Secondary student and youth council member Gray Simms said there needs to be some restrictions regarding proximity to schools.
“That won’t stop a student from purchasing marijuana. But it will hopefully aid in preventing it…,” said Simms.
Asked about timelines, development services director Kevin Pearson said he has invited different organizations – Interior Health, Downtown Salmon Arm, the school district and the Economic Development Society – to provide input by the end of April. With the moderate approach, Pearson said there would be few bylaw changes needed.
“The rules are pretty much in place unless you as council want to have some proximity policies, in which case I’ll have to write that up,” said Pearson, who was confident bylaws could be in place before the federal government’s legalization deadline in late August/early September.
During council’s closing comments, Coun. Chad Eliason said even if the city has its act together before legalization, delays at higher government levels may require some flexibility at the municipal level.
To the few in favour of a closed approach, Coun. Ken Jamieson commented, “What’s in place now hasn’t worked for quite a few decades and so I think our council here and the city staff and other municipalities, we’re going to try – it’s going to be an honest attempt to make it better for our community.”
Coun. Louise Wallace Richmond stressed how cannabis is already being used recreationally in Salmon Arm, and she’d rather it come from a legal dispensary.
“That will always be my point of view because laced cannabis is also a very dangerous problem,” said Wallace Richmond. “I’m giving you my personal opinion. But the question is not whether or not cannabis is used, the question is where does the cannabis come from?”
The questionnaire is now available on the City of Salmon Arm website.