Pubdate: Wed, 09 Jul 2014
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2014 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Alexandra Posadzki
Page: S1

CANADIAN POT TOURISTS HEAD SOUTH

Lineups at Marijuana Retailers in Washington on First Day of Legal 
Sale See Influx of Visitors From B.C.

Canadian pot tourists are hoping the legalization of marijuana sales 
in Washington state will ignite similar changes north of the border - 
but they aren't sweating the details.

One man from Victoria was in Washington state on vacation Tuesday and 
decided to line up outside the Top Shelf Cannabis store in Bellingham 
to "be a part of history" and take in the first day of legal pot 
sales in the state.

Canada will legalize pot "all in good time," predicted Greg from 
Victoria, who didn't want his last name used. "Canada seems to lag in 
accepting things that get accepted in the U.S. We're more cautious."

He was joined by fellow Canadian Keith from Surrey, B.C., who also 
didn't want his last name used.

Keith, who was on a two-week family vacation in Bellingham that 
coincided with the opening of the shop, said he's hopeful Canada will 
follow suit.

"A lot of Canada's rules and regulations stem from the States."

At Top Shelf Cannabis in Bellingham, owner Tom Beckley said more than 
half of his customers on the first day of sales were Canadians, 
mostly from the Vancouver area. Others hailed from Kamloops and Penticton, B.C.

"I think it's just something new for them," said Mr. Beckley. 
"They're making history along with us."

But a number of American residents on hand for the opening - 
particularly those who have lived north of the border - suggested 
there continues to be more stigma around pot use in the U.S. than in Canada.

"My experience in Canada is weed is so plentiful and there's so much 
of it ... that even without the words on the dotted line, or on the 
page, I feel that it's still more legal there," said Boris Budd, who 
owns a condo in Vancouver and has lived in B.C. for stints of time.

"There's so much bureaucracy and red tape based upon the [state] laws 
that we still have to see how things are going to unfold. For 
example, they're talking about prices being $25 a gram here 
eventually, and in my opinion that ensures a burgeoning black market 
in Washington state because nobody pays that much."

James Bird, a Bellingham resident who spent four years living in 
Surrey, B.C., said Washington state still has a long way to go before 
Americans embrace marijuana use the way their neighbours to the north have.

"Here you can only smoke in your house, so I don't see the kind of 
attitude like they have in B.C. coming to Washington at all," said 
Mr. Bird. "If you're sitting in a park [in Washington] and a cop 
walks by, you're getting a ticket."

The end of "prohibition," as many were calling it, marks a major step 
that has been 20 months in the making. Both Washington and Colorado 
voted in November, 2012, to legalize pot sales for adults over 21, 
and to create a system for growing, selling and taxing the plant. 
Sales began in Colorado on Jan. 1.

Washington issued the first 24 retail marijuana licences on Monday, 
but not all businesses were ready to kick off sales the next day. Pot 
proprietors have been given little time to prepare, leaving many 
observers predicting that product shortages and high prices will 
accompany the launch.

The day before the opening, Mr. Beckley was frantically putting the 
final touches on his Bellingham shop, including installing the toilet 
and the sink in the shop's bathroom.

Mr. Beckley said he had secured more than 10 kilograms of marijuana 
before Top Shelf Cannabis opened its doors - and he hopes it's enough 
for everyone who wants some.

"It's history," said Mr. Beckley. "Everyone wants a piece."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom