The University of British Columbia (UBC) campus is a place for research and education. The majority of the people living in this area are students, families ,staffs and professors oriented towards the purpose of the university campus. By opening a cannabis retail store, more cannabis store customers will be attracted to the campus for purposes unrelated to the university.

UBC fosters a high density of minors, with an elementary school within 1.4 km, a high school within 1 km and another elementary school within ONLY 700 meter to the location of the cannabis retail. The location of the cannabis retail store is in a business plaza including a food court, supermarket, fast food chains, Staples, banks and educational institutes which are family, business, and academic-oriented. Many elementary and secondary school students pass by this area on the way to school and spend time in this area after school with friends. By allowing cannabis retail to exist in this business plaza, we are putting vulnerable children at a high risk of exposure to substances they are too young for.

Since the legalization of marijuana in Canada in 2018, the bypassing marijuana smell happens more often in recent years. Many buildings have prohibited smoking inside and within 6 meters of the building which means the smokers would probably smoke on the street, which the open air will be polluted more seriously. Moreover, second-hand smoke will impact the community significantly. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, second-hand smoke causes negative psychological effects and toxic chemical effects on nonsmokers. This is especially detrimental to the health of children and elderly individuals in our community.

UBC’s response: UBC prioritizes the health and wellbeing of our students, faculty, staff, and residents. When classes are in session, we have more than 50,000 students on campus, the vast majority of which are young adults between 18-25 years of age. Many of these students come from countries where cannabis use is neither legal nor decriminalized.

David Eby MLA’s letter : The community has limited services and retail space, and that those interested in purchasing cannabis can order legal cannabis online or visit a physical store just blocks away in the Point Grey Village. I have also explained that while some people are opposed to legal cannabis, most people who oppose this particular store are not necessarily opposed to legal cannabis generally; however, residents are opposed to losing a valuable community storefront that would arguably overserve the UBC market in a growing community when other retail uses are preferred and needed.

Please sign this petition to let Electoral Area (EA) Committee know the concerns and effects it poses on our community from the approval of a cannabis store on 5784 University Blvd. We ask that Electoral Area (EA) Committee strongly consider how the cannabis retail store aligns with the research and educational purposes in UBC and how it will better serve the students and residents (families, children and elderly) in the area.