Pubdate: Fri, 26 Jun 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
Page: A3

POT SHOP REGULATIONS AND WHAT THEY MEAN

Now that council decided to regulate illegal marijuana dispensaries, 
you probably have some questions.

So I thought I'd select a few I've heard from people and do my best 
to answer them.

Here we go...

Question: Do the new regulations mean all current dispensary 
operators will automatically receive a business licence, if they pay 
the $30,000 annual fee?

Answer: No. Every operator must apply to the city and go through a 
stringent three-phase process which involves staff reviewing the 
dispensary's location, past business practices, conducting criminal 
record checks and determining whether the pot shop meets various 
guidelines and building codes related to health, fire and signs. You 
should also know that if a dispensary meets the requirements of a 
non-profit "compassion club," then the fee is $1,000.

Question: So what happens if a pot shop operator refuses to pay the 
$30,000 or the $1,000 fees and continues to operate? At what point do 
they get shut down?

Answer: As city lawyer Iain Dixon explained Monday night at the last 
night of the public hearings, "we can take enforcement action 
immediately, but whether we can guarantee that they'll stop operating 
immediately, we can't. It takes time to make someone stop operating." 
Dixon said the most efficient way to shut down a business without a 
licence is to seek an injunction in court. "If someone doesn't 
contest it, it's very quick. But if they do contest it, it can be 
quite long." Fines of $250 to $10,000 can also be imposed.

Question: Is there any evidence the $30,000 fee will cause pot shops 
to shut down and drive sales of marijuana into the black market?

Answer: Apparently, the city says it has no evidence to indicate this 
would happen, although sales of marijuana -- no matter where they 
occur -- have always been illegal. Unless, of course, you have a 
licence to grow it or use it.

Question: I heard the city talking about a point system to sort out 
which pot shops get to stay and which have to close, or relocate. 
Please explain.

Answer: Each application will be reviewed under a demerit point 
system. For example, if a pot shop has a history of poor business 
practices, has had police execute search warrants at the business, 
then the city would penalize them for four points. If the same shop 
completed work without a building permit, that's another penalty of 
three points. The fewer points, the better the chances of a pot shop 
remaining in the neighbourhood. If an applicant does not want to set 
up as a "compassion club," that's 10 demerit points. If the city 
finds that two or more shops are competing for the same location, and 
their demerit points are equal, a lottery would take place.

Question: How much is this going to cost for the city to implement?

Answer: City documents say it will cost $1.4 million in the first 
year. That goes to pay for new staff and start-up costs. In the 
second year, the cost will drop to $700,000 and to $500,000 in 
subsequent years.

Question: I've heard a lot about this 300-metre restriction. What's 
that all about?

Answer: The regulations state a pot shop cannot operate within 300 
metres of a school, community centre, neighbourhood house, or another 
pot shop. Colorado and Washington State have the same rules. Under 
these restrictions, initial projections from the city were that 26 
pot shops would have to close, 54 relocate and open up space for 12 
new dispensaries.

Question: Is it true federal Health Minister isn't too happy with 
Vancouver city's council decision to regulate dispensaries?

Answer: Uh, "deeply disappointed" is what she said. And she also said 
the cops should enforce the law. But as the Courier learned in an 
investigation, police raided a pot shop three times at 151 East 
Hastings and it continues to operate today.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom