Pubdate: Thu, 01 Oct 2015 Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Copyright: 2015 Winnipeg Free Press Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502 Authors: Aldo Santin and Kevin Rollason Page: A7 COUNCILLORS PUSH FOR POT REGULATIONS City 'should be ready' for potential decriminalization of drug: Eadie TWO Winnipeg city councillors want zoning regulations in place to restrict where marijuana and related products can be sold should the drug be legalized or decriminalized. But while local advocates applaud the move - and Vancouver continues to push ahead with its decision to create zoning regulations for medical marijuana-related businesses - a national advocate against legalizing marijuana says city councillors should mind their own business. Couns. Ross Eadie (Mynarski) and Matt Allard (St. Boniface) brought a motion to city council Wednesday asking administration to look at how other Canadian municipalities are regulating marijuana and what may work in Winnipeg. Eadie told reporters he knows the question of legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana is divisive, but added the city has no restrictions where "head shops" or associated retail outlets can be located. "The country is changing, these issues are there and we should be ready," Eadie said. The motion was automatically referred to the property and development committee for consideration. Eadie said the city should have similar restrictions in place for marijuana that now apply to so-called body-rub parlours, bath houses and pawn shops. The outcome of the federal election could determine if marijuana use remains illegal, he said, adding Winnipeg should be ready for when that happens. Eadie suggested rules be put in place that would prevent marijuana outlets from opening near schools and playgrounds. He said the city could require a marijuana retail operation be subject to public hearings. "We, the city, can have some controls under our zoning bylaws," Eadie said. "We can't keep our heads buried in the sand." Glenn Price, owner of Your Medical Cannabis Headquarters - which opened at 1404 Main St. in June as a marijuana dispensary before it shut down that side of its operation after Price was charged in August with possession and trafficking of marijuana, along with proceeds of crime - said he supports the direction city councillors are moving in. "This is what I was after all along," he said. "I believe the City of Winnipeg needs this. If the federal government is doing such a good job (distributing medical marijuana) than why would I have got 720 patients in 21 days when I was open? "We should have free and easy access like other cities. That is my goal." Price said his next court appearance is Oct. 14. Until his charges are dealt with, Price said his store is open to hand out information as well as sell items including "pipes, T-shirts, hats as well as hemp products like shampoos, soap and lip balm." Bill VanderGraaf, a former Winnipeg police officer who is pushing for marijuana legalization, said the move by the city councillors is "very encouraging for them to take a proactive approach before legalization. "I think it's a wise move. We have to see how we can regulate this product to keep it away from our children." VanderGraaf pointed to the drug-related offence numbers in a report by Statistics Canada earlier this week, showing Winnipeg police are already charging people with marijuana possession at a lower rate than most major cities across the land, with Winnipeg ranking 28 out of 34. "It's simply an unfair process," he said. "It's not right to have a kid getting charged in one city and not in the next. It brings the law into disrepute." But Pamela McColl of the British Columbia-based, antipot organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana Canada said she doesn't understand why the councillors are wading into an area of federal responsibility. "This is absolutely putting the cart before the horse - we have two of the federal parties running for office that have different opinions on this," McColl said. "(The Winnipeg city councillors) weren't elected to do this. It's not their mandate... I think it's all show and all politics." - --- [sidebar] HIGH TIMES: Marijuana regulations elsewhere VANCOUVER became the first city in Canada to vote to approve zoning and business-licensing regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries in June. Since then, the City of Vancouver has received 176 applications for medical marijuana-related businesses, with 107 applying as retail businesses and the other 69 as compassion clubs. Currently, city staff is checking to make sure the applicants are located in a permitted commercial zone and are a minimum of 300 metres away from schools, community centres, neighbourhood houses, facilities helping vulnerable youth, and other medical marijuanarelated businesses. The business licence for compassion clubs (run by a non-profit society for members only) is $1,000, while the licence for a retail business selling to the general public is $30,000. The states of Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska have legalized the use of both medical and recreational marijuana. In Colorado, the first to legalize marijuana, anyone 21 or older can purchase and possess retail marijuana. It is illegal to sell or give marijuana to minors. Colorado residents are allowed to buy up to one ounce of marijuana, but visitors can only buy a quarter ounce in a single transaction. While you can legally buy marijuana, the City of Denver says people can only use it in areas "not open or accessible to the public. Marijuana may not be consumed openly or publicly." It is up to individual hotels whether a guest can smoke marijuana, but Denver city laws prohibit marijuana use on hotel balconies if visible from a public place. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom