Business owners won't be able to sell recreational marijuana in the rural areas of the Thompson Nicola Regional District any time soon. "The staff felt that the most appropriate approach at this point as far as rural area sales go is to ban it all together," said board chair John Ranta. The change affects all rural areas including unincorporated communities like Blue River and 70 Mile House. The Thompson Nicola Regional District runs from Coquihalla Summit Park south of Merritt to almost 300 kilometres north of Kamloops in an area straddling Highway 5. "We wanted to make sure that the retail sale is able to be regulated by the regional district," said Ranta.

Source: CBC News March 19, 2018 21:56 UTC