Victoria makes plans to regulate its medical pot shops with $5,000 licensing fee

VICTORIA – The City of Victoria has laid out some ground rules as it moves to regulate medical-marijuana businesses and included is a licensing fee that is a fraction of the Vancouver charge.

The city is asking for public input on more than a dozen proposed regulations, including a fee ranging from $4,000 to $5,000, that no one under the age of 19 be on the premises, that health-warnings signs be posted and that there be no consumption of the product in the store.

Vancouver is further ahead in its regulation process and plans to charge $30,000 for a business licence.

There are about 30 medical-marijuana-related businesses in Victoria currently and 26 of those are storefront retailers.

The city says the purpose of its regulations is to reduce the impact on the community, while letting clients maintain access to medical marijuana.

An open house and town-hall meeting will be held on the issue Feb. 22.