Residents of West Nipissing, Canada have made themselves famous this month – by arguing over the smell of weed.
West Nipissing residents are complaining about the “skunky” or“gassy” smell caused by four local medical cannabis nurseries, which they say has started drifting into residential areas.
However, residents aren’t the only ones complaining, as Councillor Lise Senecal had this to say:
I was called at 9.30 at night to get out and smell it, and I didn’t have to. I just opened the window and I think I got a buzz.
Although it seems like this comment was a joke, other councillors agree with Senecal. Councillor Chris Fisher described his thoughts on the situation by saying:
Cannabis does stick. It is quite offensive to some people.
In response to complaints from residents of West Nipissing, the West Nipissing council voted on whether to investigate outlawing the smell of cannabis through local bylaws.
The vote was won 8-1, with only Councillor Jeremy Senguin protesting the vote. According to Councillor Senguin, the smell only persists throughout the budding, flowering, and curing period – which lasts a few weeks at most.
Let’s push for mediation instead of creating a bylaw over a one-off. I really don’t think it’s council’s job to micro-manage people’s lives.
Other members of the council have also pointed out that regulating smells could be bad for the town going forward.
It’s a little bit dangerous to regulate smells – there’s no scale. If cannabis can’t smell, does that mean we have to shut down the sewage plant?
While banning the smell of cannabis might seem ridiculous, Hamilton, Ontario has recently put a similar law in place – banning the smell of cannabis from unlicensed growers.
