Port Hardy Mayor Hank Bood says he doesn’t smoke marijuana, but he’s still interested in it from an economic standpoint.
“Like most people, I tried it as a youngster growing up in the 70’s when it was a fairly hippyish time,” said Bood, who added he does think there is “a real chance for economic activity regarding this particular subject.”
Which is why the district is now putting together an Advisory Planning Commission for the potential legalization of marijuana by the federal government.
“There’s a little history here - about a year back we had a proponent try to open a retail outlet for marijuana,” said Bood. “Our bylaws didn’t allow for it, it is illegal to do it in our town — so we had to turn it down.”
With the federal government currently looking at legalizing marijuana between 2017-2018, the committee is being put in place to prepare in advance for that eventuality.
Bood said he personally thinks marijuana is something that will be legalized here in Canada at some point, “so we need to be proactive and make sure we implement the requirements that make it a safe and viable operation in the District of Port Hardy.”
When asked if he had any concerns regarding marijuana being legalized within the district, Bood said he’s aware there is “always concerns with something that’s mood altering, and that’s why I’m glad we are putting this advisory planning committee together. I’m interested in seeing what they come up with, which is honestly the cool thing about being in this business. You get to take a subject you don’t know a lot about, kick it around a little bit, and then at the end of the day, you make the decisions you need to make.”
The committee will be looking at subjects like regulating the zones in which marijuana can be dispensed, dispensaries proximity to other dispensaries, whether dispensaries can be combined with retail, if the dispensaries will be located close to schools, and more.
The deadline for applications to join the committee ends on June 30, and Bood is currently unsure how many people are going to be on the commission.
“There’s two applications so far,” he said. “I assume we will basically accept anybody who applies. They will be looking at the subject from their point of view and then reporting back to us.”
All told, Bood thinks marijuana dispensaries are “a very interesting idea, and it’s one that is going to be good for us to explore. At this moment, I don’t really have any feeling we are not prepared to move forward with this.”