Several months after recreational pot was legalized in Canada, Langford is set to get its very first dispensary.
Not only that, the store's proposed location is under the very watchful eye of the RCMP, its nextdoor neighbour on Veterans Memorial Parkway.
Clarity Cannabis passed the latest hurdle at Langford council Monday night. There will now be a two-week public input period before the city meets again on March 18 to decide whether to finalize a temporary-use permit for the store.
Langford’s Mayor Stew Young says the city has taken a different approach towards approving pot shops than other municipalities.
Unlike places like Victoria, Langford is not issuing rezoning permits.
Instead it has decided to issue successful applicants with temporary-use permits. Doing so allows the city to revoke a permit if the store doesn’t operate properly.
It also allows the city to request that prospective applicants make donations towards improving the community.
Young says the money provided by applicants has already financed extra officers for the area.
“It gave us enough money to hire two officers. So we get two officers — a bylaw officer and a police officer — which are hired now," Young says. "They’re going to be our liaison officers to work with the public and the stores.”
If an applicant gets approval from the city for a temporary-use permit, the province then weighs in on a final licensing decision.
The province won’t say how long it takes to issue a final licence after it gets approval from a municipality. However, Young estimates Langford's first recreational pot shop will be selling marijuana in about three months.
