Pubdate: Fri, 08 Jul 2016
Source: Penticton Herald (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.pentictonherald.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/664
Author: Tiffany Goodwein
Page: A3

Osoyoos

COUNCIL BANS POT SHOPS

Mayor waiting to see legislation from federal government; public
hearing set for July 18

Osoyoos town council will soon ask residents to weigh in on the siting
of medical marijuana dispensaries, while Penticton city staff recently
suspended the business licences of at least two shops.

Mayor Sue McKortoff says Osoyoos council is trying to be proactive
ahead of the planned decriminalization of marijuana in Canada.

On Monday, council gave preliminary approval to a bylaw temporarily
banning pot shops, a move the mayor described as a stop-gap measure
until the federal government passes decriminalization
legislation.

"We should wait and see what the legislation says before we put in a
(permanent) policy," she said. A public hearing on the bylaw is set
for July 18. The bylaw was recommended by the town's lawyer, who
suggested the federal government could - as early as next month -
amend its medical marijuana regulations to allow for storefront sales.

In the meantime, the town has shut down one medical marijuana shop
operating there.

Penticton has also recently clamped down on its weed
vendors.

Last week, it issued business licence suspensions to at least two
dispensaries, including the Herbal Green Compassion Club, which
operates out of the Rush In and Finish Cafe on Westminster Avenue.

Owner Jukka Laurio is still selling cannabis, however, pending an
appeal hearing.

The shop serves approximately 100 customers per day, none of whom are
being harmed by seeking an alternative form of medicine, he claims.

"Many of our customers are repeat customers who have slowed down or
stopped their prescription medications because this seems to work
better," Laurio said.

A competitor across the street, Starbuds, also had its licence
suspended.

A notice from the city posted on Starbuds' window states the shop has
been denied a non-profit registration, is in violation of federal
medical marijuana regulations and completed renovations without a
building permit.

The store is still open, however, and the owner declined comment on
the matter.

Mayor Andrew Jakubeit says the issue of medical marijuana has
frustrated local governments, as legalization is a federal matter yet
towns and cities have been thrust into a regulatory role while Ottawa
creates legislation.

However, the city also has to enforce the rules as they're currently
written.

"It is not really about the merits of medical marijuana, it is really
about: 'Do we allow a business to operate without a business licence
and operate contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada?'" said Jakubeit.

He noted the city has received numerous complaints from the public
about pot shops, but council has no plans to follow Osoyoos' lead in
creating a bylaw to regulate their siting.

Last month, the federal Liberal government announced creation of a
task force headed by former justice minister Ann McLellan to study the
legalization and regulation of recreational marijuana and make
recommendations on its decriminalization. The government has said it
will introduce the resultant legislation next spring.
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MAP posted-by: Matt