Pubdate: Wed, 27 Jul 2016
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Page: A2
Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.ottawacitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Aedan Helmer

SIX IN 10 TELL POLL POT SHOPS SHOULD BE ALLOWED

Two-Thirds Support Retail-Styled Regulation and Zoning by the City

Ottawans don't want to shut them down but do see the need for some 
regulation from the city.

Ottawa's marijuana dispensaries are inching closer to becoming 
legitimate business - if not in the eyes of the law, then at least in 
the eyes of residents.

A new public opinion poll conducted by Forum Research Inc. finds as 
many as six in 10 respondents say marijuana dispensaries should be 
allowed to operate in Ottawa, with fewer than a third (32 per cent) 
opposed. Two-thirds of respondents (67 per cent) believe they should 
be regulated and zoned like any other retail business, while one in 
five say they should be immediately shut down.

"The level of agreement on regulating and zoning these storefront pot 
shops is quite high; it's a definitive finding that Ottawans don't 
want to shut them down but do see the need for some regulation from 
the city," said Forum Research president Lorne Bozinoff.

The proportion of those in favour of dispensaries is nearly identical 
to that of a previous Forum poll conducted in May.

But pollsters are seeing a sharp increase in approval numbers in 
neighbourhoods where dispensaries already exist (73 per cent), 
perhaps dispelling the notion of a NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) reflex 
around pot shops that tends to be more prominent with other 
controversial initiatives related to public health, such as 
supervised injection sites.

Nick Dumond, who manages two Weeds stores on Montreal Road and Bank 
Street, believes the numbers reflect a growing trend in public 
opinion toward acceptance.

"I'm happy to see statistics like that. It means we're doing a good 
job with the way we're operating, and I think that's the way (public 
opinion) is going to go," Dumond said.

"Our customers really like the services of coming in and dealing with 
staff who already know the product, and if we can run a nice clean 
establishment, we can continue evolving on a positive way. With the 
dispensary model in Ottawa, everybody has stepped it up a notch, and 
we're trying to create a really fundamental service for these 
patients and create a safe environment for them to access (marijuana).

"We're really trying to obey within the parameters we're given, and 
people are starting to recognize that this is a good thing."

Dumond said he's developed a good relationship with authorities, and 
has held positive talks with police, firefighters and government 
officials who have stopped in to observe the operation. Weeds has 
already held informal talks with the local business improvement area 
as it seeks to run a legitimate business.

According to the Forum study, an increasing number of people already 
believe the dispensaries are legal.

Three in 10 respondents believe the shops are legal businesses, up 
slightly from 25 per cent in the May survey.

That number spikes dramatically (46 per cent) in neighbourhoods where 
dispensaries already exist.

And there appears to be no shortage of opinion. Only eight per cent 
of the 862 respondents said they had no opinion when asked whether 
marijuana dispensaries should be allowed to operate.

The Forum Research poll surveyed 862 residents by telephone on July 
22. Results based on the total sample are considered accurate plus or 
minus three per cent, 19 times out of 20.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom