Pubdate: Thu, 03 Dec 2015
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Times Colonist
Contact:  http://www.timescolonist.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Author: Lindsay Kines
Page: A1

UNION, RETAILERS PUSH FOR MARIJUANA SALES IN B.C. LIQUOR STORES

Once Legal, Pot Could Be Sold Responsibly Through Existing Channels, 
Alliance Says

British Columbians could be able to buy B.C. bud with their Budweiser 
if private liquor stores and a major union get their way.

The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union has partnered with 
the B.C. Private Liquor Store Association to push for the sale of 
recreational marijuana in public and private liquor stores - if and 
when the federal government legalizes the drug.

It should be sold in a socially responsible way, "in an 
age-controlled environment with a proven track record of ID checks, 
and that's what we currently have within our liquor stores," BCGEU 
president Stephanie Smith said Wednesday.

"The infrastructure exists and to do something parallel for the sale 
of non-medical marijuana would create another level of bureaucracy, 
would take a lot of time, energy and money."

Damian Kettlewell of the Private Liquor Store Association said the 
Liquor Distribution Branch already has a warehousing system.

"We think that we could get quickest to market, and the goal for the 
alliance is to have adult-use, non-medical marijuana available in 
B.C. liquor stores by Christmas 2016," he said. "It's going to take 
some time for things to come together, but we wanted to put a goal out there."

Kettlewell said there are almost 200 government liquor stores and 
nearly 700 private liquor stores in B.C.

"So we don't want to reinvent the wheel, and we suggest it makes 
sense to distribute through the current infrastructure."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised during the federal election 
campaign to "legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana" in 
order to keep the drug away from children and the profits away from criminals.

Trudeau said a Liberal government would remove marijuana consumption 
and incidental possession from the Criminal Code, while creating 
stronger laws to punish those who sell to minors or drive under the influence.

In a mandate letter to Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, Trudeau 
instructed her to work with the health and public safety ministers to 
"create a federal-provincial-territorial process that will lead to 
the legalization and regulation of marijuana."

Neither the BCGEU nor private liquor stores offered projections of 
the money to be made from the legalized sale of marijuana.

Smith said the next step is to open talks with the provincial 
government and "be in a strong position when federal laws are changed."

The B.C. government has pledged to co-operate with federal efforts to 
legalize marijuana.

"It's a Criminal Code provision," Premier Christy Clark said in 
October. "The Criminal Code is a federal responsibility, so if and 
when they make changes, we'll work with them to make sure the changes 
can be effective in B.C."

Dana Larsen of Sensible B.C., a marijuana legalization group, said he 
generally supports the proposal by the union and private liquor stores.

"I would support it less if they were saying it should only be 
available there and nowhere else," he said. "But I think having that 
being one of the different options would be very positive."

Larsen said a key benefit of using liquor stores is that they already 
exist across the province.

"So it would provide a quick rollout," he said.

"If they have to do it only in separate locations, it would mean many 
cities, I think, would try to fight this by putting in bylaws to not 
allow it to happen in their town. And it would be a very slow process 
in terms of renting and staffing and finding thousands of new places 
across the province to sell it."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom