By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Public consumption of cannabis puts Penhold’s reputation at risk: councillor

Sep 17, 2018 | 12:04 PM

If you want to smoke cannabis in public this fall, you may want to head to Penhold.

Town council there voted recently to make it so that one can consume the soon-to-be legalized drug in public. Consumption of cannabis, which could include smoking, vaping or oils, will be treated like the smoking of tobacco.

It cannot be done indoors or on a patio, in a vehicle, within five metres of a public entrance, within 20 metres of a playground, seasonal skating rink, skate park, sports field or spray park, nor within 100 metres of a school or day care.

“To be honest there wasn’t really that much feedback. We had a public hearing that nobody showed up to. We did receive some emails, but there wasn’t really a whole lot of concern or anything regarding it,” says Penhold Mayor Mike Yargeau. “People have just sort of accepted that it’s being legalized and come October, you’re going to be able to buy it.”

Yargeau was one of the four who voted in favour of public consumption.

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The three that didn’t were councillors Mike Walsh, Shawn Hamm and Ken Denson. Denson says the town’s reputation as a family-oriented and family-friendly place is now at risk.

“The health effects have always been my concern. I was a smoker in the past and realize the health issues of smoking. I just can’t see the point of cannabis being legalized, period,” he says.

“Public consumption just isn’t appropriate for our town.”

Where Denson and Yargeau do agree is that the province dropped the ball when it came to handing so much off to municipalities.

“It should be their project,” Yargeau says. “If you look at alcohol, the sale and consumption of it is regulated by the province. Cannabis falls under AGLC, so the same thing except they turned that over to municipalities while they collect all the tax revenue.”

It’s yet to be determined how or if the province will share any of that tax revenue with municipalities.

“Cannabis is in sort of a grey area between tobacco and alcohol. You can’t distinguish it unless you’re physically there smelling it, but at the same time, cannabis will impair your judgement which brings it more in line with alcohol,” continues Yargeau. “It’s a tough thing when you’re looking at how to enforce or regulate it.”

He adds that being prepared to make changes in the future is paramount.

Penhold town council must still deal with regulations around the retail sale of cannabis. First reading will take place Sept. 24. An open house is scheduled for Oct. 11 before a public hearing and second and third readings come to council on Oct. 22.

Town officials confirm there has been interest from multiple parties at bringing a retail cannabis store to Penhold, but they can’t begin taking applications until retail regulations are approved.