Pubdate: Fri, 08 May 2015
Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Vancouver Courier
Contact:  http://www.vancourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474
Author: Mike Howell

POT SELLER WELCOMES REGULATION

'Edibles' banned in proposed city rules

If city council decides to regulate the growing number of marijuana
dispensaries in Vancouver, that will mean an end to all marijuana
goods sold in pot shops.

So no more cookies, brownies, butter or ice cream.

And Don Briere, who co-owns more than a dozen Weeds Glass and Gifts
pot shops, is perfectly fine with dumping what are commonly referred
to in the industry as edibles from his inventory.

At least for now.

"There's amateurs out there and they're not consistent and they don't
know what they're doing," he said of the variety of homemade goods
available for sale in pot shops. "It's like people who make backyard
gin, people can go blind drinking it.They didn't do it intentionally,
but it can happen."

Briere said his hope is council will first regulate the pot shops,
which total more than 80 in Vancouver. Once regulations bring some
stability to the businesses, he said, operators can then approach the
city to set an industry standard for the making and selling of edibles.

"Then we can have a consistent product," said Briere, who spoke to the
Courier the week after police raided one of his pot shops at 2916 West
Fourth Ave.

Police said a 15-year-old was hospitalized after allegedly purchasing
edible products from the store. Other "events involving young people"
were also reasons for executing a search warrant, according to a news
release issued by the Vancouver Police Department.

Briere said his staff member did not sell to the teen and doesn't know
how he obtained the product. He said none of his stores sell to
minors, although he surmised an adult could have bought the product
for the boy.

"If it was a client that did that, then they should be charged and we
will ban that person from our stores forever," he said, noting the
store re-opened about 48 hours later. "But it's all hearsay and there
were no charges."

Customers and staff from the store were identified and released
pending further investigation, which could end in charges, according
to police.

Briere said his products, including muffins, cookies, coconut butter
and ice cream are made by various suppliers. He didn't elaborate on
where the products are made, although he said some suppliers have
commercial kitchens.

Briere's hope for an industry standard for edibles isn't a regulation
the City of Vancouver is proposing in its attempt to bring some level
of control to the pot shops.

The proposal, which includes a $30,000 annual licence fee for pot
shops and criminal record checks, recommends only marijuana oil be
available for sale. The rationale is a purchaser can take the oil home
and make their own marijuana-infused goods.

The proposal is expected to go to public hearing by the end of the
month or into early June, although the city hasn't released dates for
what are expected to be well-attended meetings.

Dr. Patricia Daly, chief medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal
Health, said she supports the city's proposal to regulate the pot
shops and stop the sale of marijuana goods.

Daly is collecting data and research on edible products that she will
forward to city council before the public hearing begins. So far, she
said, her findings are that marijuana goods in the United States have
been associated with the poisoning of children and other associated
harms.

"Part of the issue is that these products are designed to look like
other food items like candy and cookies that appeal to children," she
said. "So they're inadvertently consumed."

Daly pointed out that more than 60 people were hospitalized after the
420 marijuana smoke-in outside the Vancouver Art Gallery on April 20.
Patients, some of whom ate marijuana goods, complained of nausea,
vomiting, heart palpitations and a decreased level of
consciousness.

"I know that the people who produce these products want to keep having
these products available," she said. "There are people who prefer to
buy marijuana in an edible form but we have to consider what the
potential risks might be of those products."

Daly said the health authority has no plans to implement regulations
that would force pot shops to label their marijuana goods, or have
inspectors monitor food preparation practices.

"I'm not suggesting that we want them all to have food permits and
we'd be happy with that," she said. "My bigger concern is edible
marijuana seems to be associated with risks that we need to be aware
of."

Daly noted that after she spoke to council last month, "a few of the
producers of edible products weren't very happy with me for saying
that we're concerned about this. So I think it's something that will
generate a lot of discussion at the public hearing."
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MAP posted-by: Matt