Pubdate: Thu, 12 May 2016 Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC) Copyright: 2016 Vancouver Courier Contact: http://www.vancourier.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474 Author: Mike Howell GETTING SCHOOLED ON MARIJUANA, ONE BLOCK AT A TIME Thought I'd give you a little more insight into the illegal marijuana dispensary revolution/battle/gong show playing out in this town. I'll focus on one block of Commercial Drive, from East 13th to East 14th. Along that stretch is the B.C. Pain Society (at East 13th and Commercial), the B.C. Compassion Club (southwest corner of East 14th and Commercial) and Stratford Hall private school (southeast corner of East 14th and Commercial). They are so close to each other that if staff from each place stood out on their sidewalks, they could wave to each other. But this trio of neighbours is not exactly chummy. They all have their reasons. I'll begin with the B.C. Pain Society, which at the time of writing this sentence, had already received two $250 tickets for operating a business without a licence. As regular readers will know, the city set April 29 as the deadline for all pot shops that hadn't met certain zoning requirements or distancing regulations -- or weren't already in the process of seeking a business licence -- to close their doors. Last time I checked, 44 tickets (including 21 to three shops) were handed out and 22 dispensaries closed. The Pain Society, which made headlines for being the first pot shop in Canada to sell marijuana in a vending machine, was supposed to shut down because it fell within 300 metres of a school. Stratford Hall was one of those schools. The dispensary is also within 300 metres of St. Joseph's School, which is much further south on the other side of Clark Park. The Pain Society, which opened more than two years ago, argued its case at a Board of Variance hearing and lost. The shop's owner, Chuck Varabioff, told me he felt the decision was pre-determined and that he wasn't given enough time to respond to complaints from Stratford Hall. Staff and parents from Stratford Hall showed up and told the board they didn't want the pot shop in the neighbourhood. After all, they said, the school opened before the Pain Society did. Which is an interesting point because the Compassion Club was on the block long before Stratford Hall. Even more interesting is the school didn't attend the Compassion Club's Board of Variance hearing. I heard later from a staff member that its position on the Compassion Club was "neutral." St. Joseph's School, which didn't show up to either hearing, told me they didn't have an issue with the Compassion Club staying in its present location. St. Joseph's said nothing about the Pain Society. I should point out the Pain Society is a retail operation, whereas the Compassion Club is what its name suggests. It offers health services, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, craniosacral therapy, counseling, reiki and yoga. The board heard the club had 3,300 health care appointments last year. Also, the Compassion Club is the oldest dispensary in Vancouver and has operated with "tacit approval" from the city and the police since the late 1990s, according to founder Hilary Black. But none of this washes with Varabioff. He makes the point that whether a dispensary is set up as a retail operation or a compassion club, the fact is this: marijuana is being sold on the premises. "They're selling the same product," said Varabioff, noting Stratford Hall students regularly walk by the Compassion Club and its customers on their way to Clark Park. "If [the Compassion Club] were any closer to the school, they would be part of the school." Added Varabioff: "I'm more compassionate than anyone. I get cancer patients coming in here and I give them free product. So how much more compassionate do you want than that?" Further complicating this mess on the block is all the Supreme Court of Canada decisions that favour the use of weed (and edibles) and the feds' recent announcement that it will introduce legislation next spring to legalize marijuana. For now, Varabioff plans to dispute his tickets. You should also know he is one of seven operators in this city who have a development permit to open another shop - this time, so far, with the approval of the city; his next step is applying for a business licence for a new shop at 2849 East Broadway. The Compassion Club is currently putting more paperwork together to seek a development permit to remain in its current location. If that is granted, then it, too, can apply for a business licence. The schools, meanwhile, continue to operate and the city continues to hand out tickets. Which brings me to this thought: I wonder what would have happened had the city and cops got together in October 2013 to take action against the pot shops when there were only 29 in the city? - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom