Pubdate: Tue, 18 Oct 2016
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Bethany Lindsay
Page: A4
Referenced: Insights West poll: http://mapinc.org/url/ucbSAweS

B.C. RESIDENTS FAVOUR POT-ONLY SHOPS FOR THEIR LEGAL MARIJUANA

British Columbians are split on how recreational marijuana should be
sold once it's legal, but standalone shops like the dispensaries that
line Vancouver's streets are the most popular option, according to a
new poll.

The latest survey from Insights West suggests 38 per cent of people in
this province would prefer to see pot-specific stores, beating out
weed sales in pharmacies (23 per cent) or liquor stores (24 per cent).

That's welcome news to Sunny Bhayana, co-director of The Herb Co. on
Main Street, one of the few licensed shops in Vancouver. He believes
that the dispensary system could have a potent effect on the country's
economy.

"If you think about it, there's never been this type of new economy
come out in I don't know how long," he said. "If you did it in
dispensaries, it would mean hundreds of jobs, hundreds of shops
opening up all over."

But Bhayana doesn't have much faith that his little store will have a
role in the new legal system, fearing that big corporations will win
the lobbying war.

"I haven't heard anything that suggests dispensaries are going to be
involved so far," he said.

Right now, most weed smokers in B.C. purchase their drugs from a
friend (57 per cent) rather than going to a dispensary (18 per cent).
Half of those surveyed said they'd switch their source to a licensed
store after legalization.

Stand-alone pot shops are the most popular option across the country
(36 per cent), but they still failed to gain the support of most
Canadians. That leaves the federal government with a tough choice,
according to Insights West pollster Mario Canseco.

"There's a lot of interests at play," he said. "Obviously there might
be certain unions that would be interested in having a piece of the
pie, if you can handle it through the liquor stores, if you can handle
it through the pharmacies."

What's clear is that Canadians have moved past the question of whether
pot should be legalized. A full 70 per cent of British Columbians and
62 per cent of Canadians told the polling company that they support
legalization.

The poll results seem to deflate the concerns of some in the
anti-legalization camp who've worried that regulating weed will result
in more widespread drug use. Only eight per cent of British Columbians
and nine per cent of Canadians who've never tried marijuana said
they'd be likely to toke if it was legal.

"There's a lot of people who are in their adult life now who have had
many chances of smoking marijuana or eating a brownie," Canseco said.
"If they haven't done it before, it's not as if they're going to be
suddenly attracted to it when it becomes legal."

Another Insights West poll recently conducted in Washington state
appears to support that. Recreational use has been legal there for
more than two years, and only five per cent of those surveyed said
they tried pot for the first time after the law changed.

In B.C., those surveyed see a number of benefits from legalization,
including increased tax revenue (83 per cent agree that the new source
of cash could benefit all residents) and freeing up police resources
to focus on other things (79 per cent).

But while Canadians appear to be optimistic about legalization,
they're also concerned about possible negative consequences. Across
the country, 84 per cent would support giving police officers the
right to arrest and administer a blood test to drivers suspected of
being impaired by pot. There's also strong support for allowing
companies to administer drug tests on their employees, even if they
don't operate some sort of machinery (62 per cent across Canada.)

"That was very, very shocking," Canseco said. "The charter challenges
that would come with a policy like this would be a litigation lawyer's
dream."

The Washington state poll suggests that people are pretty happy with
how legalization is working out so far. About two-thirds of those
surveyed said they were satisfied with allowing the sale of small
amounts of pot to adults as well as with the restrictions on driving
while high.

The Canadian poll was conducted online Sept. 3-Oct. 4 among a sample
of 1,033 Canadians and the results have a margin of error of plus or
minus 3.1 percentage points. The Washington poll was conducted online
Sept. 12-14 among 535 adults and the results have a margin of error of
+/- 4.2 percentage points.
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MAP posted-by: Matt