Westlock is a step closer to its first legal cannabis store after town council moved its amended land-use bylaw to first reading July 16.
A public hearing will now be held Aug. 20 before council continues to lay the legal framework for the new industry.
“This deals in land use only,” said chief administrative officer Dwight Dibben. “It does not deal with consumption. If council wants rules beyond what the province has set, it will have to have a separate bylaw.”
With the production, consumption and sale of marijuana set to be legal Oct. 17, municipalities are racing to update their bylaws. Dibben noted this was the first of a handful of bylaws that would need minor tweaks to cover cannabis.
Among the changes are adding a legal definition of cannabis and related concepts as well as establishing regulations for its sale.
A third adds it to the list of permitted uses for land both along the highway commercial district and downtown. No retailer will be permitted within 100 metres of the Westlock Healthcare Centre, Westlock Mental Health Services or the three schools.
It does not include rules for zoning for production. Director of development services Simone Wiley told council administration would deal with that when needed.
Wiley said the town was simply following the rules established by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission.
She also said that council would also need to make amendments to its business licence bylaw before October.
While the federal government has not yet established rules for edible cannabis products yet, the bylaw includes edibles in its definition of cannabis.
