Public cannabis consumption

In preparation for legalization of Cannabis on Oct. 17, Chestermere city council held a meeting to discuss the new public Cannabis Consumption Bylaw on Oct. 15.
The public Cannabis Consumption Bylaw states that no person is permitted the use an electronic smoking device or any device for the consumption of smoke, vapor, emissions, or Cannabis in a public place, said Acting Sgt. Trever Bowman.
Any person who has a medical document must produce a copy of their medical certificate if demanded by a Peace Officer. However, anyone who has a medical document is still restricted in use at public locations as per the Alberta Tobacco Reduction Act, and the Chestermere Smoking Bylaw, Bowman added.
If anyone is caught breaking the public cannabis consumption bylaw, they will be charged a minimum penalty of $250.
As stated at the Oct. 1 council meeting, council members and administration reviewed the results from the public survey on Cannabis earlier this year, however, the bylaws put into place may still be amended in the future to suit the needs of council and the community.
Communications Team Lead at the City of Chestermere Megan Matthies said once the province decided the level of authority that would be given to municipalities, Chestermere created a public consultation plan to ensure that the municipal legislation that was drafted reflected the views of residents in the community.
“We wanted to actively seek the opinions, thoughts, and feelings of Chestermere residents and use them to influence the decisions, options presented to council,” Matthies said.
The city advertised through the newspaper, through social media, through the community newsletter that was sent to all residences, the city Website, and through word of mouth.
“We know that many people were aware of the opportunity to participate,” she added, 15 per cent of households took the online survey earlier in the spring.
“We believe that although people have a difference in opinions about whether cannabis should be legalized at all, we do believe that many people feel as though we have heard them,” Matthies said.
For more information on the Cannabis Consumption Bylaw please visit the city of Chestermere Website
http://www.chestermere.ca/legalization.