Survey shows downtown support for cannabis ban

By Gillian Slade on September 25, 2018.

A City Centre Development Agency survey suggests two thirds of downtown businesses in Medicine Hat would like to see put use banned in public places.--NEWS GRAPHIC

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Downtown business owners want the smoking of cannabis banned in the downtown business core, says the City Centre Development Agency.

CCDA chair Jeremy Silver says results of a survey are overwhelming. Two thirds of respondents want to prohibit the smoking of cannabis in all forms on all downtown sidewalks and pedestrian walkways. They want it banned outright downtown.

“The board was pretty taken aback actually,” said Silver. “They were quite clear.”

Silver says this means the CCDA knows exactly how to advocate to council for what downtown business owners want.

“We are going to ask for a ban of cannabis smoking in the downtown core,” said Silver.

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There were 54 responses to the CCDA’s survey, with 36 requesting the ban.

The organization distributed a survey to downtown businesses specifically asking whether the smoking of cannabis in public places should be prohibited or be allowed within a certain distance of doorways.

Only 7.4 per cent were is favour of limiting cannabis smoking to rules applying to tobacco, which state it take place at least five metres away from any doorway — a current bylaw under the Tobacco and Smoking Reduction Act of Alberta.

Nearly 26 per cent of respondents were in favour of restricting cannabis and other forms of smoking to more than 10 metres of any doorway — consistent with the city’s current bylaw applying to an out door public place, Bylaw 4136 Sec 3.

The city is working on policies for council to consider that would apply to the smoking of cannabis in public places. Silver says this survey has clearly spelled out to the CCDA the concerns of businesses downtown, and the board will use this voice as it advocates to council.

According to data from the survey not quite 40 per cent of respondents (23 businesses) indicated a “great deal” of concern about the smoking of cannabis downtown. Slightly more than 17 per cent, or 10 respondents, described their concerns as “a lot”.

Of the 58 respondents a total of 10, a little more than 17 per cent, indicated no concern at all about the smoking of cannabis downtown.