Port Alberni Approves Cannabis Dispensary Regulations

The city of Port Alberni has now officially decided to allow medical cannabis dispensaries. The council chambers had over 40 people on Monday evening to let their opinions be known.

The issue first came up after the dispensary WeeMedical opened for business in October of 2015. The council ended up with a 5-2 vote in favor of regulations for medical cannabis dispensaries.

At the regular council meeting, the council voted to approve these zoning bylaw regulations:

– dispensaries are allowed in general, service, highway commercial and core business zones

– dispensaries are not permitted within 1000 m of each other or 300 m of schools

– dispensaries must be dispensaries only—no shared use

– no ATMS

Approved business bylaw regulation include:

– all dispensaries, even non-profits require a $220 business license

– store fronts must be transparent

– no minors

– signage to indicate product is unregulated

– an understanding that city bylaws do not mean compliance with senior government laws

If the requirements aren’t met, the dispensaries could face a fine of $100-150 per day. We have been looking at more and more cities, such as Belleville and Kelowna, that are taking legislative matters into their hands instead of waiting for federal cannabis legalization to actually happen. Original story by Katya Slepian found here.

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