BOWDEN - Bowden won't have a bylaw regulating the consumption of cannabis and tobacco in the community for at least another week.
As a result, the town remains without any bylaw regulating tobacco consumption in town, let alone marijuana consumption.
That's because a bylaw to regulate those products was defeated during council's Oct. 22 meeting.
It was defeated because a few councillors, led by Coun. Carol Pion and Coun. Randy Brown, didn't like the fact the bylaw regulated the consumption of both products in one document.
Brown and Pion said the two products are different, and thus should be dealt with differently via two separate bylaws.
Interim chief administrative officer Jacqui Molyneux says administrative staff will now split the bylaw into two "as indicated by council."
During debate on the matter, Mayor Robb Stuart noted that all that was on the table was a request from administrative staff to give the first of three readings to the bylaw. He said amendments could be made to it after it received first reading.
Coun. Wayne Milaney spoke in a similar vein.
"It's OK to have a vote where we don't all agree," he said. "It's called democracy."
But that suggestion didn't satisfy Pion and Brown.
"For me, there was a lot of confusion in reading it in that if it had to do with tobacco, it didn't have to do with cannabis and if it had to do with cannabis, it didn't have to do with tobacco, so that was my only comment on it," Pion said.
"If we separate that, it becomes very clear what the tobacco bylaw will be and what the cannabis bylaw will be. I just think that would make it more clear for everyone."
Brown agreed.
"My understanding of it was to create a strictly cannabis bylaw. Now we've lumped in cannabis and tobacco. I think they need to be two separate things," he said.
"If we want to do a smoking bylaw, I don't disagree that we need a smoking bylaw, I just don't think we should lump the two of them together."
Concern was also raised about how rules around cannabis consumption would affect home-based businesses.
Some councillors said under the proposed bylaw, people could not consume cannabis (or tobbaco) in home-based businesses.
Pion's firm is one of 92 home-based businesses in Bowden.
"How I view this is I can't have anybody smoke in my business," Pion said.
Milaney said councillors could debate the matter "'till the cows come home" and not agree. Like Stuart, he pointed out changes could be made after the bylaw obtained first reading.
"This is just the first kick at the cat for this whole scenario," Milaney said.
