No matter what the vendors at the open-air pot market at Robson Square think, selling marijuana is still illegal in Canada.
And the Vancouver Police Department seems willing to get that message across.
“It’s gotten out of control,” VPD Sgt. Jason Robillard said of marijuana sales at the plaza in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery.
“It has escalated, it has got to the point where we have to take action,” he said at a press conference Monday. “What’s going on there is still illegal.”
Robillard was responding to questions about an apparent police raid Sunday night during which several vendors were reportedly taken into custody. Media at the press conference noted that many of those vendors are back today.
Robillard declined to give any details about last night’s event or what the police plan to do about the open sale of marijuana. “It’s an ongoing and active investigation and we hope to have more information soon as to what that means.”
“Stay tuned” was also Mayor Gregor Robertson’s response when asked about it at a Jan. 10 press conference.
“It’s been a really tough issue for us to manage. I don’t see that situation continuing that much longer,” Robertson said. "Certainly if that was booze it would be out of order and there’d be real concerns about that as well.”
Speaking of booze, The Alchemist is reporting that on Jan. 18, the provincial government conducted “four simultaneous Prohibition-style raids” on establishments in Victoria, Nanaimo and Vancouver and confiscated tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of liquor.
The target was bottles of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s unique whiskies.
Although the bottles were shipped to B.C. under proper channels and all appropriate taxes paid, The Alchemist says, the licensees bought them through private retailers instead of government stores, which is not allowed.
Fets Whisky Kitchen on Commercial Drive is out an estimated $40,000 worth of whisky.
As to whether the open selling of marijuana was giving the mayor second thoughts about the wisdom of closing traffic on Robson Street and making it easier for the market to exist, Robertson said, “It’s important public space. Those people currently illegally using that space, it’s a situation we have to deal with. It doesn’t affect the public space status of Robson Square.”
