Municipalities are going to be facing an interesting challenge when marijuana is legalized, which is expected to be sometime in the summer.
While bylaws around where people will be allowed to smoke will likely be similar to current smoking bylaws, it will be fascinating to see how the issue of commercial zoning plays out.
In order for pot businesses to set up shop, they will have to be issued a development permit and a business licence. In order for that to happen, the necessary zoning and applications will have to be in place.
That also means public hearings, a staple process in any development application.
Now, usually, business applications go through with very little opposition from the public. Will that continue to be the trend if and when a storefront selling weed wants to pop up in a busy commercial area?
Towns have begun the process toward prescribing where cannabis stores will be allowed to set up shop with first reading of an amendment to the land use bylaw. The changes to the bylaw (in Cochrane) include a 150m setback from schools, other marijuana shops, health-care facilities and any other area designated for minors.
That distance appears to be in line with what other jurisdictions are doing and aligns with rules surrounding liquor stores.
A December Insights West poll showed that 60 per cent of Albertans supported weed legalization, but when considered by demographic the support for legal marijuana is not quite so definitive.
According to the poll, legalization is supported by 71 per cent of NDP voters, but opposed by almost 60 per cent of Wildrose and Conservative voters. Age also made a difference in the level of support. The poll suggests legalization is backed by 85 per cent of Albertans aged 18 to 34, but that approval drops to 54 per cent of people aged 34 to 54 and 45 per cent of people older than 55.
Whether or not that translates into significant opposition to development permits, will depend on how the towns handle reworking current zoning bylaws.
Council has often iterated its commitment to public consultation and transparency and the marijuana issue is the perfect opportunity to put that philosophy into practice.
Perhaps this segment of land use should have its own consultation process. Business owners, residents, educators and potential sellers should all be surveyed.
We must have solid understanding about where these types of business should be, how many will be allowed and any other requirements that will cut down the uncertainty when it comes to development applications.
There is a lot to be considered and if it is not done right the public backlash will be considerable.
- reprinted from Cochrane Eagle, a Great West newspaper
