City Council votes to opt-in for retail cannabis stores

Posted on Tuesday January 15, 2019

City Council voted this evening to allow the operation of provincially licensed cannabis retail stores in the City of Cambridge.

City staff, in consultation with area municipalities and key stakeholders, recommended  “opting in”  as a safer alternative to the illegal market.

Potential benefits of allowing private stores include:

Product safety  - Federally controlled and inspected cannabis

Harm/crime reduction -  Less opportunity for illegal or tainted or supply

Economic development  -  New business and job opportunities

Funding and Revenue -  Substantial provincial funding and cannabis revenue

Enforcement – Additional access to enforcement resources

The full staff report can be found here.

The provincial government has announced a phased in approach with a limited number of stores eligible to open in cities that have permitted cannabis retail as of April 1, 2019.

View general information on recreational cannabis and FAQs.