At least 65 people have signed up to speak at a public hearing next Wednesday to weigh in on whether the city should regulate the growing number of marijuana dispensaries in Vancouver.
More speakers are expected to register as the hearing nears, but the biggest critic of the city’s proposal — the federal government of Stephen Harper — has not committed to send any representatives to city hall and likely won’t participate.
In an email exchange this week with Health Minister Rona Ambrose’s office, the minister’s press secretary Michael Bolkenius told the Courier that Ambrose already outlined the government’s opposition in a letter sent in April to Mayor Gregor Robertson.
Bolkenius reiterated Ambrose’s position that dispensaries, of which there are more than 80 at the city’s last count, are illegal and will remain illegal under the Conservatives. Bolkenius urged the public to attend the hearings to voice their views on the proposal.
“These stores have absolutely no regard for the rule of law and have been caught selling marijuana to kids — they represent part of [Liberal leader] Justin Trudeau’s plan to legalize marijuana and make it available just like alcohol and cigarettes,” he wrote.
Joyce Murray, the Liberal MP for Vancouver-Quadra, said the partisan shot at Trudeau amounts to “political trash talk” by the Conservatives, whom she blamed for allowing dispensaries and marijuana use among young people to flourish.
“The reason that the city is having to regulate the dispensaries is because of this government’s policies and failure of leadership on the issue of marijuana,” said Murray, noting she supports the city’s move to regulate the pot shops.
The Liberals, she said, want to see a national policy shift where marijuana is “properly regulated and controlled” to address Canadians’ health needs and curb organized crime’s involvement in the marijuana trade.
Such a policy would reduce marijuana access to young people, she said, adding that “the federal government hasn’t put a proper regime in place to keep children safe.”
The city’s proposal calls for an annual $30,000 licence fee for dispensary operators, criminal record checks of operators and keeping pot shops 300 metres from schools and community centres. The proposal is unprecedented for a Canadian municipality and further complicates the already confusing laws related to a person’s right to obtain marijuana for an illness.
Tied to a court ruling in 2001 that made possession possible for patients is the federal government’s move in 2013 to have all marijuana cultivated for medicinal purposes come from a government dispensary and delivered by mail.
That law is now the subject of a legal challenge, with pot shops in Vancouver continuing to proliferate, growing from 29 in October 2013 to 85 in April. None of the dispensaries are licensed by Health Canada, endorsed by a medical body or associated to any legitimate health service provider.
In 1997, the B.C Compassion Club became the first pot shop to open in the city. It now has 50 employees and has added an apothecary where herbs other than marijuana are used in treatments. The business also offers acupuncture and massage.
Jamie Shaw, communications coordinator for the Compassion Club and president of the Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries, signed up to speak to council. Shaw said her five minutes at the microphone will focus on amending the regulations to “grandfather” the shop’s right to remain at its location at 2995 Commercial Dr.
“We’re part of the fabric of the neighbourhood, so we’re hoping that they realize it’s kind of arbitrary to make us move,” she said, referring to a recommendation in the proposal that says a pot shop can’t be located within 300 metres of a school.
The Compassion Club is across the street from private school Stratford Hall, where Shaw said dispensary staff has visited to discuss cannabinoids with a Grade 12 biology class. Students have also visited the dispensary and apothecary as part of their education, she said, noting the school opened after the pot shop was already on the block.
Shaw said she will also ask council to consider reducing annual licence fees for non-profits and to continue to allow marijuana-laced products such as brownies and ice cream for sale. The city’s proposal says only marijuana oil could be for sale.
The Vancouver Police Department, which is expected to have a senior officer on hand to answer questions during the hearings, hasn’t said whether it supports the city’s proposal, although Supt. Mike Porteous told reporters after a recent council meeting on the topic that “any kind of regulation helps because it’s completely the Wild West right now.”
Over the weekend, someone used a stolen van to smash through the front door of the Stressed and Depressed Association at 1353 East 41st Ave. About 30 minutes later, a similar break-in occurred at Canna Clinic Marijuana Dispensary at 2347 East Hastings. Police arrested a man about an hour after the break-ins as he tried to flee from a van.
Police were also kept busy Monday, responding to a robbery at the Green Room marijuana dispensary, 1057 Seymour St. Const. Brian Montague, a VPD media liaison officer, wouldn’t disclose what was taken in the three incidents but said it’s usually drugs and cash.
Meanwhile, a group calling itself Coalition For Dispensary Free Communities has surfaced online to urge people to sign a petition to rid the city of pot shops.
“We are a group of concerned citizens who have come together to gather opposition, to stand up and say ‘No’ and to tell the mayor and council to prohibit these illegal businesses,” said a message on the group’s website.
The first night of the hearings begins at 6 p.m. at city hall. Speakers can sign up in advance or at the door prior to the meeting.
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