Pot Shops Could Legally Open in New Year

By Kate Bouey

Dec 10, 2018 | 5:23 PM

Applications allowing local pot shops to legally open are expected to come flooding in to the City of Vernon as early as tomorrow.

On Monday, city council passed cannabis bylaw amendments that will allow marijuana-based shops to seek a business license, according to Community Development director Kim Flick.

Flick said each applicant will need council approval as well as a license from the province to legally sell marijuana products.

“The province isn’t going to process til they hear from council, yay or nay, on any given location,” Flick explained. “We expect to bring the first round of reports forward (to council) hopefully February.”

There were about a dozen pot shops in Vernon at one time.

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When asked if city hall expected that many applications, Flick replied: “I would be surprised if we saw less than that. Kelowna got over 40 applications for its first intake. We would expect at least a dozen.”

A City release says the changes to Zoning Bylaw #5000 now permit recreational cannabis sales in the following commercial zoning districts: C3 to C12 – Commercial, RTC – Resort Commercial, CD1 and CD5 – Comprehensive Development District.

In addition, the amendments allow cannabis cultivation facilities (medical, non-medical, micro-cultivation, hemp and nurseries) in the A1 – Agriculture within the ALR (a minimum of 50 m from any property where residential is the principal use) and I1 – Light Industrial districts (in enclosed buildings only), pursuant to licensing by the federal government.

Cannabis processing, micro-processing, analytical testing and research is allowed in the I1 – Light Industrial and I4 – Business Park zoning districts.

by Kate Bouey