A recent survey by the City of West Kelowna on regulations around non-medical pot shops drew 1,224 responses from residents and business owners, more than any other City survey so far.
Here are some highlights of the survey, which took place from July 16th to July 31st, 2018:
- 917 said they were in favour of recreational pot shops in West Kelowna, while 263 said they weren’t, and 35 were unsure.
- 657 were in favour of pre-determined locations for pot shops, 173 said they preferred temporary use permits, and 273 opted for a site-specific rezoning application.
- 608 respondents were in favour of limiting the number of pot shops in West Kelowna, 486 said they didn’t want a cap on the number, and 123 were unsure.
- 699 were in favour of a distance between pot shops of 300 metres or greater, while 456 were not in favour of such a regulation.
- 430 said they wanted adults to be able to smoke or vape cannabis in the same areas where tobacco or regular vaping is permitted, while 303 were opposed to this.
City Council used the results of the survey to shape several regulations, such as the number of pot shops allowed in West Kelowna: Two will be in the Westbank Centre, while the other two will be in the West Kelowna Industrial Park area.
Council will also be developing evaluation criteria for any future pot shops.