Pubdate: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2014 Postmedia Network Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Author: Mike Hager Page: A4 CUSTOMERS HIGH-FIVE NEW POT RETAILER Washington Store Attracts Wave of Eclectic Clientele, Including Canadians BELLINGHAM, Wash. - There were old hippies in tie-dyed shirts, an industrial hemp activist, and a drag queen seeking a particular strain of cannabis to stay "awake and active" when dancing. But most of the people at the grand opening of Top Shelf Cannabis were local residents as unassuming as the Bellingham strip mall that houses one of Washington state's first recreational marijuana retailers. Inside, screen-topped Mason jars were brought out from their glass display cases so people could sniff samples of about 15 different strains of "combustibles" ( dried cannabis that is smoked). Hemp rolling papers ($ 2) and hand-held glass bongs ($ 20) were popular purchases. Happy customers high-fived as they examined the two gram packages of bud, which had slick labels describing the THC and moisture content as well as numerous possible side- effects. "Easy does it ... start with a little. We want you to ENJOY this product," stated the slogan on a package of the Sweet Lafayette indica strain. The day was a historic step toward the end of the U. S. war on drugs, according to many of the more than 700 customers who showed up to Top Shelf. By 11 a. m., more than 200 people had bought dried marijuana, with about 30 per cent showing out-of-state ID and several from Canada, according to Derek Langhorn, a security guard checking IDs. "It's great to see old people come in here, they don't have to go out on the streets," said Langhorn, a burly Bellingham native who doesn't smoke marijuana anymore, but was charged with a misdemeanour for the possession of 1.4 grams several years ago as an 18- year- old. "People don't hire me because of it," he added. "It's just great right now that anybody can come in here, anybody at all, and say ' Hey, I wanna get some marijuana.' And it should be like that, because I can go to the store and get beer. It should be exactly the same thing." Once customers prove they are over 21, they can buy up to an ounce ( 28 grams) of the bud, with Top Shelf selling a gram of Hawaiian Dutchman for as low as $ 10 a gram with tax and as high as $ 22 a gram with tax for Opal OG Kush. The state levies a 25- percent tax on retail purchases. Those prices were still a little high for Canadians Greg and Lorraine, a Victoria couple vacationing nearby at their summer camping spot who bought 10 grams of two strains for $ 215 US. "I saved $ 25 on a case of beer ( down here), so I can afford it," Greg joked. Both refused to give their last names, telling The Sun "we have parents" and "we still have jobs" back in Victoria. "The States seems to be way more liberal on some things," Greg said. "Canada's a little too protective of our society. They think there's gotta be seven levels of bureaucracy." The two said they don't often smoke back home, but will sneak a puff with friends. Greg said he would relish the opportunity to buy legal weed in Canada, and thinks that may happen if Liberal leader Justin Trudeau becomes Canada's prime minister. "The right things are happening. If the indicators are going the right way ( in Colorado and Washington), it becomes more and more acceptable, and sooner or later people see it as a source of revenue for the government. Maybe it will lower my taxes on cigarettes or tobacco or alcohol," Greg said. "Collect the taxes some other way instead of out of my back pocket all the time." The Canada Border Services Agency released a statement Tuesday warning any Canadians thinking of bringing marijuana legally bought in Washington over the border. "Travellers should be aware that even if they have purchased marijuana legally in Washington state, it is still a crime to transport it across the border," the emailed statement read. "Anyone found smuggling drugs will be arrested and depending on the circumstances, charges may be laid." Vancouver-based marijuana activist Jodie Emery said it will be hard to predict how many British Columbians are drawn south by the new laws. If legal retailers don't have the supply to handle consumer demand, then customers will just return to buying from the black market, cautioned Emery - whose husband Marc Emery could return to Vancouver as early as two weeks from now after serving five years in an American prison for selling marijuana seeds. The start of legal pot sales in Washington state has been 20 months in the making. Washington state and Colorado stunned much of the world in November 2012 by voting in referendums to legalize marijuana for adults over 21, and to create state licensed systems for growing, selling and taxing the pot. Sales in Colorado began on Jan. 1. - - with files from the Associated Press - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom