We would like to thank Coun. Terri O’Keeffe for her public stance on retail cannabis business applications at Sidney council meetings. We agree with her position that these retail stores are different from any other retail business given the clear warnings from Island Health regarding location buffers and their broader points about the availability of cannabis.
While it’s clear her position is not well received by many of the other councillors, we commend O’Keeffe for her brave insistence that the warnings of Island Health not be ignored.
Just because society has grown insensitive to similar warnings regarding alcohol doesn’t mean health considerations for either alcohol or cannabis should not be a part of any pertinent business applications. These warnings are clearly displayed regarding tobacco for example, and yet unpopular with alcohol and cannabis. That should change if we care at all about the health of our affected neighbours.
Until society changes its thinking regarding the damage caused by these products, we should continue to raise these concerns regarding any business applications that encourage their use without taking the related health risks into consideration.
Coun. O’Keeffe has our strong support as she continues to bring these warnings and concerns to the attention of council.
Brian and Kathy Driver
Sidney