Richmond is taking a proactive approach to prevent the potential proliferation of marijuana dispensaries in the city, as was witnessed in Vancouver over recent years.
Chief licence inspector Carli Edwards, a former City of Vancouver bureaucrat, identified a gap in the City of Richmond’s zoning bylaws, which do not specifically prohibit the retail sale of cannabis.
On Monday, councillors tentatively approved a bylaw amendment to ban dispensaries. Edwards’ report notes the city can revisit the ban if the federal government legalizes the use of marijuana.
A federal report with a commitment to introduce legislation on legalizing marijuana is expected this spring, according to Canada’s Ministry of Justice.
Edwards notes that federal law presently prohibits the retail sale of cannabis. However, grey areas have emerged in Vancouver where hundreds of dispensaries have opened, with little enforcement of the matter.
“It is prudent for the city to implement zoning regulations to prohibit all retailing and/or dispensing of marijuana or cannabis products city-wide,” noted the report.
The Canadian government has created the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation.
A number of issues surround the legalization. The government will need to address impaired driving regulations; determine how to mitigate health effects of consumption; and establish a safe medical marijuana regime.
Legalizing marijuana could, theoretically, free up resources in the justice system. In 2014, half of all drug offences were marijuana-related and 22,000 people were charged. Legalizing marijuana would also negatively impact revenue for criminal organizations.
Marijuana is now legal across the entire west coast of the United States. It is decriminalized in nearly all of South America and most European countries.
