By Molly Magennis
Star Weekly has looked back at our editions and picked out a selection of our favourite stories from 2022, including the story on survey respondents supporting Maribyrnong council’s decision to enter the medicinal cannabis industry to reduce household rates.
A majority of surveyed Maribyrnong residents have thrown their support behind council’s plan to grow medicinal cannabis.
Councillors voted in September 2021, to enter the medicinal cannabis industry in a bid to reduce household rates.
Community engagement on the decision ran until January 28, with 600 residents completing a survey about council’s plans.
Of the residents who completed the survey, 74 per cent (445) said they were supportive of council entering the medicinal cannabis business. Twenty-six per cent (155) of survey respondents did not support the proposal, according to a report tabled at the March 15 council meeting.
When asked if they supported council seeking alternative ideas to counteract rates, 87 per cent (519) of respondents answered ‘yes’.
According to the report, residents’ reasons for supporting council growing medicinal cannabis included the health benefits for the greater community, the opportunity to reduce rates and local employment opportunities.
However, the report noted that while 74 per cent of survey respondents supported council’s plan, the support was tempered by a degree of concern around potential risk and the large number of current unknowns around the proposal.
Reasons against the proposal included concerns council was not qualified to run such a venture, that the business could not return a profit, and that it was not the role of council.
Council will now start the “feasibility and commercial legal due diligence stage’ of the proposal, and an assessment will take place regarding council’s risk under the Local Government Act.
A report detailing the findings will be presented to council in October.
Maribyrnong mayor Anthony Tran said council understood residents wanted more details about council’s involvement in the medicinal cannabis industry.
“They have made it clear they want to see a more extensive investigation to answer their questions around things like the operational model and specifically costs that would be involved before they would be willing to see the venture proceed any further,” he said.
