Pubdate: Sat, 08 Aug 2015
Source: Hamilton Spectator (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 The Hamilton Spectator
Contact:  http://www.thespec.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/181
Author: Nicole Thompson
Page: A3
Cited: Supercrawl: https://www.facebook.com/Supercrawl

CITY PARK NO-SMOKING RULE HAZY?

You can't smoke your medical marijuana at Supercrawl shows=C2=85 or can
you?

"We aren't here to judge, but illegal drugs and/or drug paraphernalia
are not allowed on the premises at all. Ditto for medical marijuana,"
reads a Supercrawl Facebook post regarding Friday's Supercrawl show at
Pier 4.

Supercrawl Productions is a Hamilton-based not-for-profit that
produces the annual Supercrawl festival in September and a smattering
of smaller shows throughout the year, including Friday's show, which
featured Caribou, Jamie xx and Jessy Lanza.

A previous version of the post on the event page "Supercrawl Presents
Caribou & Jamie xx  Pier 4 Park" also said vaping was prohibited, but
an edit later removed that specification.

"That's the law," said Supercrawl director Tim Potocic.

But Dr. Ninh Tran of Hamilton Public Health said smoking bylaws only
apply to tobacco smoke, not medical marijuana. He said he wasn't sure
if there were other bylaws that apply to medical marijuana.

"We assumed the smoking laws applied to all smoking," Potocic said.
"That's what the signs say. They don't say 'No smoking tobacco.'"

According to city and provincial legislation, tobacco-smoking is not
allowed on park property or patios.

A representative from Health Canada declined to comment on city rules
regarding public smoking of medical marijuana, deferring to the
municipality.

Potocic also deferred to the city, saying he'd leave enforcement up to
bylaw officers, who he said attend all Supercrawl shows in public parks.

The Facebook post, regarding Friday's Supercrawl show, also outlined
that backpacks, cameras and packaged water bottles would be
prohibited. The post garnered 77 comments in eight hours, mostly about
the moratorium on smoking and backpacks.

Supercrawl organizers later lifted the ban on backpacks and said
they'd allow smartphones with built-in cameras.
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MAP posted-by: Matt