The Lloydminster Youth Council wants to prevent cannabis from getting into the hands of minors.
Two members of the youth council presented at city council Monday to share their recommendations of how to regulate marijuana in the city. Vice Chair of the Youth Council Dustin Snider says that the goal of the presentation was to inform council on the dangers of marijuana on minors.
“Realize that this could be a very big impact on the youth in our city and we’re hoping that they put some regulations around the use and purchasing of cannabis once it’s legalized to protect us.”
Their presentation was intended to hear a different side of the cannabis conversation. One of the points made was to see cannabis dispensaries as far away from school zones and residential areas as possible. The Alberta Government released their cannabis regulations last week and they state that any cannabis shop will have to be at least 100 meters away from schools.
Member of the Youth Council Rhianna McCassrey says that her personal experience of going into a smoke shop where she was able to buy marijuana seeds as a minor was alarming. She adds that she wants to regulate cannabis until youth are able to educate themselves.
“I think one of the things youth always seem to think is that they’re completely indestructible and their behaviours now won’t affect them in the future. As a lot of people have discovered with cannabis and marijuana that’s not the case.”
The Youth Council will be holding a cannabis “Let’s Talk” conversation later in the year. They hope to have 40 youth participate in the conversation discussing facts and myths surrounding marijuana.
