Were you thinking of opening up a pot shop in Revelstoke? Hopefully you have a backup plan.
Staff have recommended to Council that a Public Hearing be scheduled to address cannabis production and distribution within Revelstoke, prior to Bill C-45 becoming law in the summer of 2018. The Federal Government will establish regulations and restrictions in regards to production and distribution and each province will have additional terms and conditions in order to guide local municipalities on how to accommodate (or deny) any production facilities.
The Development Services Department have a few adjustments on prohibiting the use of cannabis in order to properly regulate it upon legalization.
The Federal and Provincial cannabis legalization program specifies both permissions and prohibitions, including:
- Distribution and possession limits;
- Licenses retailer purchases;
- Recreational consumption;
- Home cultivation;
- Continued legal access to medical cannabis;
- Driving while impaired;
- Youth restrictions.
As of right now, the sale of cannabis would be permitted in zones that allow retail sales unless Council specifically adopts a bylaw that prohibits this from moving forward. There is a notion that an interim cannabis prohibition would then provide City staff time to wrap their heads around the whole idea and how it will ultimately affect the community at large.
Assistant Planner of Development Services, Mary Wong stated in a report to Council, “These immediate adjustments involve adding new definitions that are consistent with Federal definitions of cannabis and cannabis-related activities and placing prohibitions on retail sales, dispensaries and production prior to legalization. Making these adjustments to the Zoning Bylaw will provide additional time to determine how the City of Revelstoke will manage this use once legalized.”
The proposed amendment to the Zoning Bylaw is to prohibit the use of cannabis in all zones in regards to recreational retail sales as well as production of cannabis. As of right now, upon legalization it would be game on the sale of cannabis.
