Pubdate: Wed, 22 Jul 2015
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2015 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wEtbT4yU
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Sadaf Ahsan
Page: A3

POT PLANTS SPROUT ON VANCOUVER STREET

Residents of Vancouver's hip Mount Pleasant neighbourhood have found 
marijuana plants among the flowers and shrubs of at least two traffic 
circles, sparking local joy and a race between residents and police 
to harvest them.

"I think it represents a good sense of humour in the neighbourhood," 
resident Stephen Tanner told CTV, adding such gardens are usually 
tended by locals.

Eric Lamond and several other residents said they have seen marijuana 
plants growing in the centre of traffic circles along Ontario Street 
in the past few months in what seems to be a random series of 
guerrilla gardening.

"I love it. It's beautiful, it's a beautiful plant, we should all be 
enjoying it, right? It's nature," Lamond told CBC News.

The neighbourhood is full of media types, one of whom tweeted a photo 
of wild weed on Monday. Twitter was quickly abuzz.

"Vancouver, where marijuana is so abundant, it grows on public land," 
said Jeremy Phan.

"It's BC - was anyone really surprised?" said Vincent Hui.

By the time news outlets and social media had picked up the location 
at noon Tuesday, it became a race to Ontario and 20th to pluck the 
plants. By the afternoon, Vancouver Police had removed another plant 
at Ontario and West 19th.

Vancouver Police spokesman Randy Fincham said the "alleged" marijuana 
plant had been "determined to likely be a male cannabis plant and 
therefore not capable of producing THC, rendering the plant legal hemp."

But while social media were in an amused uproar, city officials took 
a practical approach.

"It is suggested by the VPD that if we come across plants in a public 
space again, that we inform the police and remove it how we would 
normally remove any greenery, via operations crews from Parks or 
Streets," said Taryn Scollard, director of streets with the City of Vancouver.

"The plant material can either be composted or otherwise disposed of."

Emerald Asuncion, spokeswoman for the British Columbia Compassion 
Club Society, Canada's oldest and largest medical cannabis 
dispensary, said it's the first time they had heard about free-range 
marijuana. "This is, surprisingly, not a common sight in Vancouver," 
she said. "It's always nice to see happy, healthy plants in this city."

A 2012 Angus Reid Public Opinion poll found that British Columbia had 
the highest level of support in Canada for legalizing cannabis, at 61 
per cent, compared to an overall 53 per cent.

As for marijuana flourishing in the wild, Vancouver is not alone. 
Last week, the Mounties in Swift Current, Sask., found pot plants 
growing among other flowers in a city planter. Investigators suspect 
someone simply dropped some seeds in - a potential scenario in 
Vancouver as well.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom