Now is not a good time to go forward with initiatives based on rules set out by a federal government that could change next month. It’s certainly a bad time to try to develop local bylaws that seek to regulate medical marijuana producers.
That’s because the regulations handed down to producers by the government of Canada could change with a new federal government or be thrown out altogether with possible legalization.
Add to the issue the current legal challenge by medicinal marijuana users who are still able to operate under the “old” rules while their challenge winds its way through the courts, and the idea of local government regulation becomes murky at best.
We see futility in trying to regulate something that hasn’t been fully defined yet, but that’s what the District of Sechelt is trying to do with its new medical marijuana bylaw, brought forward in a public hearing last week.
The bylaw would create specific zones for medical marijuana production, cultivation, research and development in Sechelt.
At the hearing, Mayor Bruce Milne said: “We’re providing zoning for the future, in which case we expect, depending on the outcome of the election and things of that nature, that there will be a new medical marijuana bylaw at the federal level and that would apply to this.”
It sounds great to be prepared if something happens, but we wonder how much time and money has been spent on developing this new bylaw, that could become null and void after October’s election.
And we wonder what the appetite of the community is for the new zoning. Only about 20 people came to the Sept. 9 public hearing and no one seemed in favour of the District’s plan.
Many of the concerns raised by the community at the public hearing also weren’t addressed in the new bylaw. Concerns about water usage, septic discharge and odour would not be regulated through Bylaw No. 25-266, 2015.
The bylaw strictly deals with zoning, setbacks and lot coverage.
While we believe the District of Sechelt is sincerely trying to regulate what seems to be a popular new business endeavour on the Coast, right now is the wrong time, and all of the work already put in by staff and council could end up being for naught.
Let’s wait until we know exactly what we’re dealing with before we make rules about it.
