Pubdate: Wed, 18 Nov 2015
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2015 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Mike Hager
Page: S1

MAYORS SEEK FEDERAL INPUT ON POT SHOPS

The mayors of two of Vancouver Island's biggest cities are calling on 
the federal Liberal government to advise them what to do with the 
illegal pot shops cropping up in their communities and explain more 
of what the path to promised legalization could look like.

This week, Victoria city council will debate a pot-shop bylaw 
proposal similar to the one Vancouver passed in June, while Nanaimo's 
mayor is trying to ease tensions between operators of 10 dispensaries 
and the local RCMP detachment, which has threatened to raid the 
stores if they do not stop illegally trafficking cannabis by the end 
of this week.

Until now, most of Canada's illegal marijuana dispensaries have been 
in Vancouver, where police maintain they must give priority to the 
sale of heavier drugs, and civic politicians say they stepped in to 
fill a regulatory void that was left by a federal government 
unwilling to tackle the file. Experts predict dozens more could open 
across the country before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's pledge to 
legalize and regulate recreational sales becomes a reality, which 
could take two years or more.

Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said the federal justice and health 
ministers need to provide guidance "as soon as possible" to 
communities that have dispensaries. Her council will vote on Thursday 
on whether to move ahead with a new zoning and business licensing 
bylaw or wait for Ottawa to weigh in on the storefront sales, which 
remain illegal under federal drug laws and operate outside the 
mail-order medical cannabis system that Health Canada regulates.

"It's purgatory, and that's why we have to use whatever tools we 
have, in this case a zoning bylaw, even in the midst of grey to try 
to draw some solid lines," Ms. Helps said on Tuesday.

"Otherwise, the municipalities are going to have to deal with this 
issue when we already have parks and infrastructure and sewage and bridges."

Minister of Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould was unavailable for comment 
on Tuesday, and so far has not said what legal pot sales could look 
like. Minister of Health Jane Philpott has said very little about the 
future of marijuana regulation. The Liberals have said their first 
step will be to create a provincial, territorial and federal task 
force to engage experts on best policy.

Nanaimo Mayor Bill McKay said he finds the issue "so bizarre" given 
the anti-pot messaging from the former Conservative federal government.

"The previous health minister was very vocal in her opposition to 
what Victoria and Vancouver were doing," Mr. McKay said. "I'd like to 
find out from the current Health Minister as to whether she echoes 
that view of her predecessor."

If Ottawa allows dispensaries to sell marijuana, Ms. Helps said she 
hopes the federal government will let cities have input about where 
they can operate, including shops with bricks-and-mortar locations.

Under the rules recommended by city staff, the Victoria bylaw would 
make sure each cannabis shop is at least 200 metres from any schools 
or other stores selling marijuana or paraphernalia such as bongs. 
Staff also proposed a ban on edible cannabis products, like pot 
brownies, and recommended that all dispensaries pay a business 
licence fee of $4,000 to $5,000 to cover the cost of enforcement. 
That is considerably lower than the $30,000 fee facing for-profit pot 
shops in Vancouver.

Alex Robb, a spokesman for the Trees Dispensary chain, which has two 
stores in Victoria and one in Nanaimo, said business people in his 
"as-yet-unregulated" sector must learn to work well with city 
councils and police forces because "they all have different priorities."

Mr. Robb said the Nanaimo Trees location will suspend sales on Friday 
for one day to show respect to the local RCMP detachment, which has 
told the city's pot shops they must shut down or they could face 
arrests and seizures starting that day.

Meanwhile, Port Alberni city council voted last week to allow a 
controversial dispensary to stay open and have staff make 
recommendations on how to zone and regulate such businesses.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom