Pubdate: Thu, 11 Jan 2018
Source: Pique Newsmagazine (CN BC)
Copyright: 2018 Pique Publishing Inc.
Contact:  http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2356
Author: Braden Dupuis
Page: 12

QUESTIONS REMAIN AROUND MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION

Whistler council gives first two readings to zoning amendment bylaw -
with more to come

The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is starting down the long,
legislative road of legal recreational marijuana.

At its first meeting of 2018 on Jan. 9, council gave the first two
readings to a zoning amendment bylaw concerning cannabis retail,
production and distribution - likely the first of many prior to
federal legalization of the substance in July.

With much still unknown about the full scope of legal cannabis in
Canada and B.C., the zoning bylaw is more a preemptive measure than
anything - it updates definitions to align with the new federal
Cannabis Act, and reinforces the current status quo in Whistler, which
limits cannabis production and distribution to a single site in
Function Junction (operated by the Whistler Medical Marijuana
Corporation).

"The immediate effect of the bylaw will be a continuity of our
existing zoning regulations: retail will remain prohibited, and
production and distribution will remain limited to a single site in
Function Junction," said senior planner Jake Belobaba in a
presentation to council.

"That facility in Function Junction will continue to be able to
operate under the new bylaw, and that means that if they are eligible
for the appropriate provincial and federal licenses, they can
transition to producing recreational cannabis."

A public hearing for the bylaw will by held on Jan.
23.

In the meantime, RMOW staff will be monitoring the development of
provincial and federal regulations, and further bylaws will be brought
forward as necessary.

Before then, the RMOW is not in a position to consider proposals from
businesses eager to cash in on legalization - of which there have been
a "steady stream" at municipal hall, Belobaba said.

Without an existing provincial framework, RMOW staff can't determine
the legality or appropriateness of such proposals, and "should an
application come forward, we are likely to recommend that it not be
considered further at this time," Belobaba said.

Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden approved of the approach.

"I think this was a very prudent move for us to take, to really just
kind of freeze everything until we know what's going on, because this
story is moving so quickly," she said after the meeting. "I know that
the feds are spending a tremendous amount of time on it, the province
is as well, and we have to have all our ducks in a row so that when
some more information comes out we're prepared to act on it."

Generally speaking, legal marijuana in Canada will be regulated at
three levels: The feds will set criminal laws (around things like
impaired driving, trafficking) and those around home growing,
production, possession and purchase, while the provinces will control
supply and distribution. Municipalities, meanwhile, are expected to be
able to regulate within their own scope of authority (through things
like zoning and anti-smoking bylaws).

In December, the province released a statement saying its framework
for cannabis retail would be similar to how alcohol is sold and
distributed in B.C., and that it would control distribution through
the Liquor Distribution Branch.

It is likely B.C. will use a public/private retail model, though no
draft legislation has been made public yet. The province has indicated
more info will be made public early this year.

Legalizing marijuana is a step in the right direction, and one that
has a lot of public support, said Scott Bernstein, senior policy
analyst for the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition.

"That said, I think it's not a perfect system, and I think people
should be patient with some of the snags," he said.

"It's not going to have a huge impact on the black market from day
one. It's going to take a little bit of time, and I think there's
going to be a lot of trial and error as this complicated system is
rolled out and adjusted over the years."

With such an ambitious timeline, Canada and B.C. may see something
similar to what's happening in California, Bernstein said.

"They're starting up with a very limited approach to it, and there
aren't a ton of retail stores opening, but they're expecting over the
next couple years that more and more will fall into the system and
open up, " he said. "So I think that's probably not a bad way to
approach this."
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MAP posted-by: Matt