Prospect of pot retailers has local politicians, health advocates worried

By Reem Kodmany

The local cannabis industry is likely to grow even larger now that Windsor and several Essex County municipalities have voted to support marijuana retail stores, according to politicians and health advocates.

The Town of Essex voted Jan 14 to join Leamington and Kingsville in opting in on cannabis retail. A week later, Amherstburg and Windsor followed suit.

Essex Councillor Chris Vander Doelen said that while legalization will bring in considerable taxation revenues, he’s  worried people may misuse the substance, leading to problems in the workplace and enforcement issues for police.

“You can grow marijuana anywhere,” Vander Doelen said. “Huge marijuana (has been) growing for 20 years in the province of British Columbia. They grow marijuana underground, (under a) school bus; eventually there will be a big supply.”

The Windsor-Essex Health Unit is worried too.

Melissa Valevtik, a chronic disease and injury prevention specialist for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, said more and more people are looking to plant marijuana and expressed concerns about light pollution and increased electricity usage associated with the expansion of greenhouses growing cannabis.

“I believe some greenhouses in Kingsville and Leamington will switch from vegetables to cannabis,” Valevtik said, the health unit will be monitoring the use of recreational marijuana in the area and plans on helping guide members of the community in safe consumption.

“Our society should be aware,” said Valevtik. “People need to be educated when they can use it.”

She said cannabis may have many negative short and long-term effects on users, depending on the quantity consumed and the quality of the marijuana. “The product has a short-term effect on your brain and mind like confusion, tiredness, difficulty focusing, hallucinations, paranoia and anxiety,” she said.

“It affects your body movement (and your) ability to drive,” she continued. “Over years, unfortunately, it can cause memory problems, difficulty processing information and learning, heart issues, heart attacks and (other) diseases.”

Essex Deputy Mayor Richard Meloche hopes there is only one cannabis retail outlet in town and called on the province to give municipalities more control over where the stores can go.

Right now, Meloche said they must be 150 metres from a school. He would like that distance increased to 500 metres.

“If we don’t have the cannabis store in our community, people who want it are going to drive to another community to get it where there is another store,” he said.