Pubdate: Fri, 08 May 2015
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2015 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Ian Bailey
Page: S1

VICTORIA CITY COUNCIL TO DRAFT NEW POT-DISPENSARY BYLAWS

City councillors in Victoria have asked staff to draft new business 
and zoning regulations for marijuana dispensaries that could include 
licence fees and ban minors from the premises in response to public 
concern over a surge in new outlets.

Bylaw changes that staff were asked for at a meeting on Thursday 
could limit hours of operation and introduce security requirements, 
licence fees and age restrictions.

Staff will bring forward options for council to consider. Committee 
members also supported the idea of a public town hall on the issue.

Last April, Victoria had four marijuana-related businesses, but as of 
last month, it had 18, and they have caused concerns about the 
exposure of youth to marijuana, and the effects on nearby businesses 
and their customers.

Throughout Thursday's debate, councillors acknowledged Vancouver's 
controversial crackdown on such operations - a move that Victoria 
Mayor Lisa Helps has described as an inspiration for British 
Columbia's capital city.

"Vancouver showed real leadership, and we have an ally across the 
water, and I am going to be looking very closely, as I know our staff 
will, at how they unroll and engage with their public. They obviously 
do have some different regulatory tools."

Federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose has suggested Vancouver's bid to 
regulate dispensaries with a $30,000 licence fee for new and existing 
operations and guidelines on where they can operate will normalize 
the sale of pot and make it more accessible to youth.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has rejected Ms. Ambrose's call to 
cancel the reforms.

Ms. Helps said she agrees with Ms. Ambrose's view that marijuana use 
in youths can lead to early onset schizophrenia and psychosis.

However, she parts from the Conservative minister on municipal 
regulation, suggesting such action would allow the city to say who 
can go into or work at the dispensaries.

"For me, that's really important," Ms. Helps told the council members.

"There are a number of thorny issues to be worked out," said 
councillor Ben Islitt.

"I look forward to seeing what staff bring back.

"I think it is important to show our community and these operators 
that there is a direction we're moving in."

He also said the plan balances concerns in the community with the 
fact that thousands of people in Victoria consume marijuana for 
medical and recreational reasons.

"That's kind of the new normal. That's the direction North America is 
going even if federal authorities are a little bit behind the times."

Dana Larsen, vice-president of the Canadian Association of Medical 
Cannabis Dispensaries, said on Thursday that the reforms in Vancouver 
and Victoria will legitimize dispensaries and improve their operations.

He said he and his members will contribute to the debate on Victoria's reforms.

The Victoria Police Department, quoted in a staff report, has raised 
concerns about the possible infiltration of organized crime into such 
operations and the lack of effective security measures to protect 
employees and prevent robberies.

Inspector Scott McGregor told the meeting the force is monitoring 
dispensaries, but focusing its "limited drug-enforcement resources" 
on drug trafficking in relation to violent crime, organized crime, 
weapons and "significant harm to vulnerable populations."

Police prefer to focus on the sale of methamphetamine, heroin and 
crack cocaine - "drugs that are significantly, negatively impacting 
the community and bring violence upon the community, which also 
affects innocent parties," he said.

The inspector said police face an "incredibly high" legal threshold 
to make the case in court that these businesses are dispensing 
marijuana for non-medicinal reasons and to connect the owners or 
leaseholders to such offences.

In B.C. courts, he said the routine outcome in such cases has been 
judicial discharges.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom