St. Paul Town Council tables first reading of Cannabis Definitions Amendments

To prepare for the upcoming changes to Provincial and Federal legislation regarding the legal use of cannabis in Canada, which go into effect on October 17 of this year, Council began first reading of amendments to Bylaw 1251: Land Use Bylaw. ”

These amendments are meant to provide clarity regarding cannabis-related definitions and to update definitions that will no longer be applicable after the October legalisation of Cannabis,” said CAO Kim Heyman.

Points of clarification being added to the Bylaw include the following:

In Part 1 – Interpretation, Subsection 1:3, the following definitions were proposed:

•“Cannabis” means cannabis plant, fresh cannabis, dried cannabis, cannabis oil and cannabis plant seeds and any other substance defined as cannabis in the Cannabis Act (Canada) and its regulations, as amended.
• “Cannabis Accessory” means cannabis accessory as defined in the Cannabis Act (Canada) and its regulations, as amended.

Within the same subsection, it is proposed that the definitions for “Licensed Medical Marijuana Production Facility” and “Licensed Medical Marijuana Production Facility Premises” be removed and replaced with the following:

“Cannabis Facility” means development used principally for one or more of the following activities as it relates to medicinal or recreational cannabis:
a. the production, cultivation, and growth of cannabis;
b. the processing of raw materials;
c. the making, testing, manufacturing, assembling or in any way altering the chemical or physical properties of semi-finished or finished goods and products;
d. the storage or transshipping of materials, goods and products; or
e. the distribution and sale of materials, goods and products to a Cannabis Store or to individual customers.

This use does not allow the on-site consumption of Cannabis, and does not include Cannabis Store or Retail sales as an Accessory Use.

“Cannabis Store” means a store licensed by the Province of Alberta, and where all cannabis that is offered for sale or sold must be from a federally approved and licensed facility. This Use does not allow the on-site consumption of cannabis. Cannabis Accessories may be sold or rented, and counselling services may be provided. This Use does not include Cannabis Facility.

Meanwhile, in the selfsame Bylaw, in Section 8.18, all references to “Licensed Medical Marijuana Production Facility” and “Licensed Medical Marijuana Production Facility Premises” will be replaced with the newly defined “Cannabis Facility.”

Council approved the first reading of the Bylaw additions and subtractions, which will now be moved to second reading at the next Council Meeting to be held on August 13, 2018. More information regarding the legalisation of cannabis is available on the cannabis section of the Government of Canada’s website. The Town of St. Paul has also created a section dedicated to cannabis updates on their website.