Bud. Blunt. Chronic. Cheeba. Ganja. Joint. Mary Jane. Roach. Left-handed cigarette. Wacky tobaccy.
Whatever slang terms you want to associate it with, I’m fairly certain you know what I’m talking about: marijuana. If you didn’t get that, I suppose I can’t blame you too much. Even I had to Google ‘marijuana slang terms’ to come up with a substantial list of them; does that make me ultra-conservative or just some dude who doesn’t exactly partake…?
The provincial government announced its early stage plans last week when it comes to the area of cannabis legalization; a list of cities and towns that are eligible to apply for a cannabis retail permit.
Outlook is on said list.
However, local officials and governing bodies in all of these communities have the right to ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ the presence of any cannabis/marijuana retail store. In short: if your town council isn’t on board, then that’s the end of it.
After last week’s article about the government’s plans was posted to our website and started circulating around the web and social media, it was interesting to read the comments and the views surrounding the subject. Sure, Outlook is on the list to have a permit if it so chooses, but would something like that fly in this town? How would it be regulated? Who would run it? What all would it offer? What are all the pros and cons?
All fair questions, and these are the kind of things that local officials in every eligible community should consider. When it comes to Outlook itself, the topic came up near the conclusion of last week’s town council meeting, just two days after the government made their announcement. Since it had only been 48 hours and there is a lot to consider and mull over, a decision won’t be revealed until next month.
As far as a large number of people online are concerned, council should say yes. The economic benefits such as tax revenue are a big factor, some say, while the medicinal value is also a key component in many arguments. In a poll taken by a resident on the Outlook and District Bulletin Board Facebook page to see the level of interest by the public, 95 people said yes to having a legal dispensary in town, 13 said no, 7 were undecided, and 2 didn’t care.
If people want a familiar face to associate the positives of cannabis with, then you don’t have to look all that far. Lane Britnell grew up in the Macrorie area and went to school at Outlook High School. A celebrated champion pole vaulter with the University of Saskatchewan, Britnell developed severe Crohn’s disease and found himself trying to battle it with all sorts of pharmaceuticals and medication, none of which helped. Lane discovered that what worked for him was using medicinal marijuana, particularly cannabis extracts and oils. A before and after photo of Britnell from 2015 is like looking at night and day; a gaunt, sad-looking young man paralleled with a fuller, in-shape and smiling person who knows what works for him in living with and treating his illness.
Personally, while I don't use cannabis/marijuana, nor am I even a tax-paying resident of the Town of Outlook, I’m in favour of seeing a retail shop open its doors in the community. I've seen the benefits firsthand of cannabis usage for people suffering from a laundry list of ailments, and while there are definitely people out there who abuse it and make other users look bad, I feel that the decades-old stigma against it holds limited weight in 2018 with the wealth of information and facts that are out there.
Besides, for every negative thing you can think of to associate with marijuana or its users, you can easily apply to alcohol; a perfectly-legal substance that has enjoyed prosperity in this town for generations upon generations.
On top of that, I feel that it would be a new business venture that allows Outlook to stand out and make people take notice, and it has the capability to provide a major boost to the local economy. If there's a town that could always use another new business to help contribute to local dollars and provide some diversity in its commerce, then it's Outlook.
Local officials have some thinking to do, void of any personal feelings and strictly about the town’s best interests, and with this task, I certainly don’t envy them.
No matter where one personally stands on marijuana, or the ‘Devil’s Lettuce’ (that one’s my personal favourite), I think we all just want to see Outlook prosper one way or another.
For this week, that’s been the Ruttle Report.
