Pubdate: Sat, 22 Apr 2017
Source: Daily Courier, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2017 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/531
Author: Ron Seymour
Page: A1

MARIJUANA ENTREPRENEUR TO TELL CITY COUNCIL THAT BANNING POT SHOPS WILL 
ONLY HELP ORGANIZED CRIME

Continuing to ban pot shops with marijuana legalization on the horizon
just helps organized crime, Kelowna city council will hear next week.

A would-be retailer of the drug says Kelowna will "suffer the
consequences" if it moves forward with a plan to explicitly prevent
the sale of marijuana in local shops.

"To keep cannabis out of the hands of children, and the profits out of
the hands of criminals, regulating access to cannabis should be a high
priority," says information given to the city by Mark Conlin, on
behalf of a firm called Starbuds.

"The status quo is no longer an option," the company's material
states. "Choosing to do nothing means your community continues to
suffer the consequences."

Starbuds is a Kelowna-based company that claims on its website to have
marijuana retailing franchises operating or soon to be opening in
seven Canadian cities.

The company describes itself as the "green standard in medical
cannabis," with stores that are "operating in clean, comfortable, and
safe environments." But the sale of marijuana is currently illegal in
Canada, even to those who possess a medical licence to use the drug.

That's a point the City of Kelowna intends to make plain in proposed
amendments to a zoning bylaw that covers the operation of retail stores.

The amendment would specifically prohibit the sale of marijuana in
retail outlets. Interested members of the public can offer their views
on the proposed amendment at a meeting set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at
Kelowna City Hall.

Representatives of Starbuds are so far the only individuals who have
indicated an interest in speaking at the meeting, the city clerk's
office said on Thursday.

Once the federal government legalizes marijuana, municipalities are
expected to have the power to regulate pot shops.

Cities could impose controls on where pot shops are located, for
example, set limits on their hours of operation, and require operators
to go through rezoning processes which would permit neighbours to comment.

So there is no guarantee that existing pot shops will be allowed to
remain where they are after the drug's legalization, even if the owner
has bought the property or made substantial renovations.

"People who want to open a (pot shop) right now, should not," Mayor
Colin Basran said at the April 10 council meeting.

"It's not a business. It's an illegal enterprise," Coun. Brad Sieben
said at the same meeting.

Coun. Charlie Hodge, however, took a different view than the rest of
his colleagues, and suggested the city should not attempt to regulate
or restrict where marijuana can be sold after legalization.

"I don't see any reason why (pot shops) shouldn't be treated like any
other retail outlet," Hodge said. Imposing controls, he said, is an
"archaic" approach that would create a "stigma" around the sale and
use of pot.
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MAP posted-by: Matt