Pubdate: Fri, 22 Apr 2016
Source: Coast Reporter (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Coast Reporter
Contact:  http://www.coastreporter.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/580
Author: Christine Wood

Cannabis

SECHELT MOVES TO REGULATE MARIJUANA

Sechelt council has asked staff to investigate zoning and business
licence options for sales, production and supply of marijuana and
marijuana-related products and services in the hopes of finding a form
of regulation in Sechelt.

Council released the motion from an in-camera meeting during its April
13 regular council meeting.

The motion passed unanimously and there was no discussion on it.
However, later in the meeting while discussing policing priorities for
the upcoming year, Mayor Bruce Milne suggested the Sunshine Coast RCMP
should not make marijuana a main concern.

"I think there should be a note to the RCMP not in terms of their
priorities, but what should not be a priority," Milne said.

"There are laws of the land that are currently under review and
changing as we speak on the advice of the prime minister, and I would
think that those laws as they affect adults in the community should
not be a priority of the RCMP. And I think we could signal the values
of our community and the values of the federal government by
suggesting that they take some things as high priorities and serious
and other things they should see as not the highest priority in our
community."

Sechelt CAO Tim Palmer suggested the direction would likely be
welcomed by the RCMP.

He said that during a recent meeting with Sunshine Coast RCMP about
enforcement of federal laws relating to marijuana, the police
expressed "concerns of putting too much effort in an area that's a
moving target as far as federal legislation."

"The RCMP indicated they were pleased we were looking at regulatory
aspects in our framework, not interfering at all in the federal level,
but as a regulatory part of regulating our types of businesses,
including possibly emerging businesses in the future," Palmer said.

Staff was directed to draft a letter to the RCMP outlining the
district's policing priorities for the upcoming year and to bring that
draft letter back to a future council meeting for approval. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D