The University Of British Columbia Becomes The First School Campus To Receive A Dispensary

t’s one happy day for students at the University of British Columbia. In a world-first, the school has become the first to accept a legal cannabis dispensary on campus.

The dispensary‘s name is Burb, and it’s just one of eight Burb locations in the province. The brand’s co-founder and CEO, John Kaye, mentioned in a statement how there was a “contentious debate around public safety and community fit,”, especially from locals in the surrounding area.

But the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD) gave Burb the green light to launch operations, which are actually just outside of school grounds. Still, the dispensary is a lot closer than what students had to travel to before, which was roughly 1.5 miles away from campus.

The main issue for Burb’s dispensary at UBC was the local community, who created an online petition with almost 1,900 signatures against the dispensary.

One argument was that people would go to UBC to get weed and for reasons “unrelated to the university,” notes CBC News. Additionally, there were fears that Burb would sit close by to a high school and two elementary schools in the surrounding area.

This petition noted that adding a cannabis dispensary in the area would put “vulnerable children at a high risk of exposure to substances they are too young for.”

Burb’s CEO John Kaye explained in the statement, “Despite concerns grounded in age-old stigma from nearby residents…the Board made an informed decision that aligned with the overwhelming voice of the student body” and cannabis legalization in Canada.

One major advantage students in favor of the dispensary had was the support of the school’s Alma Mater Society (AMS). One particular petition from the organization got roughly 2,000 signatures in favor of launching Burb near UBC.

AMS president Eshana Bhangu says the UBC student body “deserves to have a safe space nearby where purchasing cannabis is accessible and provided in a stress-free environment.”

She added that “Locations like these really do reduce illegal activity, and we don’t think that this is going to have any risk to families and underage youth.”

Burb is expected to launch its dispensary just off the UBC campus this fall for the 2022-2023 school year.