Pubdate: Wed, 08 Jul 2015
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html
Website: http://www.theprovince.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Cheryl Chan
Page: 2

THE STRAIGHT DOPE ON POT SHOPS: WASHINGTON STATE VERSUS B.C.

One year after Washington state legalized the sale of marijuana, B.C.
remains bound by Canadian drug laws that consider pot sales, except to
about 40,000 authorized medical users, illegal.

The status quo is being challenged, not just by marijuana activists,
but also by municipalities, which are grappling with ways to handle
consequences of pot prohibition, including illegal grow-ops, gang
violence and organized crime.

In some of B.C.'s biggest cities, marijuana dispensaries increasingly
dot the landscape. Their rapid growth - about 135 at last count in the
province - has been partly attributed to the federal government's move
in 2013 to ban homegrown medical marijuana in favour of a handful of
licensed industrial-scale producers.

In June, Vancouver became the first municipality in Canada to regulate
dispensaries in open defiance of Ottawa. City Coun. Kerry Jang
described the move as a "common-sense approach" to deal with the
explosion of pot dispensaries, which, according to city figures, grew
from less than 20 in 2012 to more than 80 by April 2015.

Other cities are expected to follow suit. Victoria is looking into
imposing similar regulations that would impose restrictions and hefty
licence fees on dispensaries.

Pot shops: Washington state versus B.C.

Are they legal?

Wash.: Yes. Recreational marijuana sales were legal as of July 8,
2014. However, use of marijuana remains a federal crime.

B.C.: No. The federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act only allows
for the purchase of pot for medicinal purposes from 25 licensed
producers and only through the mail. All medical-marijuana
dispensaries operate illegally.

Number of marijuana retailers.

Wash.: 171 licensed stores. B.C.: 135 and growing, according to the
Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries. By its count,
Vancouver has almost 100; Victoria around 18.

Price of a gram of weed (enough for two fat joints).

Wash.: $11.52, including taxes, at a licensed store.

B.C.: $8 to $12 at dispensaries. Priceofweed.com, a crowdsourced
website that tracks black-market pot prices around the world, pegs the
average price of pot on the street as $6 to $7, depending on quality.

Cost of a business licence.

Wash.: $250 for a licence application fee and a $1,000 renewal
fee.

Vancouver: $30,000 for retail stores, $1,000 for non-profit compassion 
clubs.
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MAP posted-by: Matt