Surrey council is permitting Central City Brewers & Distillers in Bridgeview to produce a non-alcoholic drink infused with cannabis.
But not everyone on council is high on the idea.
“So I confirmed with staff that this drink will be infused with THC – that’s the chemical that gets people high,” Councillor Steven Pettigrew told council Monday, June 15, before the application received final approval.
“So do we really need yet another source of drugs to inflict upon our society?” Pettigrew said. “We’re already struggling with rampant drug use. I’m in the office, I look out my window and I see people that are under the influence of drugs and we do not be able to add to our society’s woes.
“I feel that this is a thin edge of the wedge that has been put into our society and I’ll not support taking us down this road.”
Surrey Councillor Steven Pettigrew. (File photo)
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A city staff report notes that the sale of edible cannabis products is limited to Health Canada licensed stores and that retail sale and sampling of the cannabis products Central City want to craft is not permitted under Federal statute. “The CD By-law Amendment has been crafted to allow only for the production of the product, and not the retail sales or sampling of the product on site.”
Central City, at 11411 Bridgeview Dr., asked council to amended a bylaw to permit the company to manufacture “non-alcohol infused cannaboid beverages” at its distillery.
Surrey resident Richard Landale, of Guildford, spoke at the public hearing, which was held Monday evening prior to council’s vote. He told the mayor and council that approving this application “is actually contrary to what your election platform was, and that is not to permit the use and sale of cannabis products and other derivatives within the city boundary.
“I register my strongest complaint,” Landale said. “Based upon your original objections, this permit should be denied on those grounds.”
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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