Regina City Council Makes Changes to Cannabis Retail Zoning Statutes – Regina | The Canadian News

The Regina city council passed a motion that will relax zoning restrictions for cannabis retailers in the city.

Cannabis retailers will soon be able to open 60 meters from “sensitive land use” buildings such as closed runways, public libraries and community centers.

At a planning commission meeting on November 3, it was recommended to maintain a requirement of 182.88 meters of distance from schools, as well as from adjacent playgrounds and parks.

On Wednesday, the council decided to revert to an original amendment that will allow retailers to operate within 60 meters of sensitive-use buildings, including schools.

This was the result of a motion made by Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Stevens.

“I think we really have to overcome the stigma of cannabis. That was the whole intention of legalization. Children can water their parents’ plants in the backyard. They can go to buy ice cream next to a dispensary. There may be bars across the street from the schools. “

“You can’t even enter a dispensary without showing that you are 19 (or older). I can take my children to the liquor store, “he added.

“I know I’m being simplistic about it, but it’s serious. This is actually the best way to deal with a controlled substance, ”Stevens concluded.

All councilors were in favor of the motion with the exception of Ward 5 Coun. John Findura.

The changes were proposed as the legal cannabis retail industry is having a positive economic impact on the city, allowing more legal stores to open and enter the black market.

Regina’s Catholic and public school boards were previously consulted on this issue, and both were in favor of maintaining the distance of 182.88 meters.

After the meeting, Mayor Sandra Masters echoed Stevens’s comments, saying it’s about removing the stigma.

“You can locate (cannabis retailers) in a mall next to a pizzeria and an ice cream parlor. It seems a bit extreme to say that it has to be 182 meters from a school when all the young people, the little children, can see it with their parents, ”Masters said.

“It seemed a bit more prescriptive or a bit extreme in terms of required distance,” he added.

Masters said the charter amendments should go into effect in the new year.