A recent poll suggests 51 per cent of British Columbians are buying all product legally B.C. has had a difficult road to getting cannabis users interested in purchasing from legal retailers over their neighbourhood dealer, but a recent poll suggests that the province may finally be winning the battle over bud. A Research Co. poll released earlier this month found that 51 per cent of B.C. respondents who have consumed cannabis in the past six months have bought all of their products from licensed retailers. That's an 18-point increase from a similar survey conducted in October 2019. [continues 176 words]
Needle prick incidents may be a byproduct of permissive action aimed at saving lives Anyone who spends a significant amount of time in downtown Victoria is at least somewhat aware of the potential for spent hypodermic needles to be discovered. That said, finding one in a public or private area is always grim reminder of the reality that people in our midst struggle daily with addiction. And despite the efforts of local groups, those that work with the city's drug-addicted population, to clean up after the relatively small number of addicts who can't or won't dispose of needles safely, there are innocent, unsuspecting people getting pricked. [continues 245 words]
With too many drug overdoses and deaths, best way still to reduce risk is abstinence Marking an International Overdose Awareness Day, as was done in Victoria with a ceremony and vigil in Centennial Square on Aug. 31, might seem moot, as few are unaware of the devastation and sadness caused in recent years by the use of drugs. But this day not only brought light to the worst human health crisis in B.C. since the AIDS epidemic, it memorialized those who have died seeking an escape from the pain of life through ingesting drugs. [continues 266 words]
Dr. Richard Stanwick has been waiting a long time to see the opening of Victoria's first supervised consumption site. Now after more than 11 years, that dream is becoming a reality. Health Canada approved Island Health's application las week for a supervised consumption site at 941 Pandora Ave., to be named the Pandora Community Health and Wellness Centre. The site will offer integrated health services including mental health counselling, a nursing clinic and links to addiction treatment programs. "This is going to save lives Â… If you think of a hub with many spokes, this is but one component that we're adding in terms of trying to address the opioid crisis," said Stanwick, Island Health's chief medical officer. [continues 322 words]
Victoria councillor hopes province, feds take on enforcement role in 2018 Enforcement of existing city bylaws is no walk in the park when it comes to marijuana dispensaries, especially given the lack of federal legislation or even guidance on the matter. Victoria councillors will hear more this Thursday from city staff working in the field, when committee of the whole discusses an enforcement progress report relating to cannabis-related businesses. In total, $24,000 in fines have so far been handed out to dispensaries for non-compliance, $15,000 of which - 15 fines of $1,000 - has been levied under the city's cannabis bylaw for operating without a valid business licence. [continues 331 words]
Health authority prepared to start fining pot shops Dr. Richard Stanwick has received a lot of angry emails as of late. Some have told him to butt out of the marijuana edible business. Others have challenged the right for the health authority to enforce legislation on pot shops selling the products. As the chief medical health officer for Island Health, Stanwick has tried to explain that the health authority has an obligation to respond to complaints from the public. So far Island Health has received three complaints about marijuana edibles sold at pot shops in the region. The most recent came Monday after someone got sick. [continues 631 words]
The time is up for marijuana dispensaries that have yet to apply for a business license or rezoning in order to continue operating in Victoria. The city will now be launching legal proceedings for cannabis retailers who've failed to comply with the marijuana dispensary regulations that took effect in November and require businesses to obtain a $5,000 license and pass a $7,500 rezoning process to operate legally. So far, 33 cannabis retailers have applied for a business license and 23 have applied for rezoning. Sixteen have yet to apply for anything. [continues 462 words]
Despite promises to legalize marijuana, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a tough stance on current marijuana regulations, saying "the law remains the law" during a visit to Esquimalt Thursday. "We are moving forward on a framework to regulate and control marijuana, to protect our kids and keep our communities safer from criminals and organized crime," Trudeau said while he was at CFB Esquimalt. Marijuana regulations have been in the spotlight over the past year, especially in Victoria, where roughly 35 marijuana dispensaries have sprouted. But marijuana regulations have been a grey area for the City of Victoria, as with many other municipalities, with mayor and councillors wondering if it's necessary to impose new regulations if the drug will be legalized in the coming months. [continues 318 words]
When Jack Phillips looks at the empty parking lot at 2920 Bridge St. in Rock Bay, he sees endless possibilities. It could be transformed into a garden, a bike shop or an area for people to bring their dogs. But most importantly, he sees a community harm reduction health centre and a supervised injection site by and for people who use drugs. Phillips is a street outreach coordinator and naloxone trainer with SOLID, an organization that provides support and education to drug users in Victoria. Now, Phillips, along with SOLID and other community groups, are calling on the Vancouver Island Health Authority and the City of Victoria to open a supervised injection site on Bridge Street to combat the growing number of overdoses in the province. [continues 389 words]
It's something Alex Robb has been hoping and waiting for, for the past several months. But now, after gathering the necessary documentation, including criminal record checks, authorization from landlords, and reviews by security companies, for Trees Dispensary to apply for rezoning and a business licence with the City of Victoria, Robb's wish has been granted. Last week, mayor and councillors voted to send the first medical marijuana storefront to public hearing, since new regulations were adopted last year to stop the booming sector. [continues 501 words]
Victoria police descended upon a downtown pot shop Wednesday morning, conducting a search warrant connected to the discovery of 30 pounds of marijuana on a commercial flight earlier this month. Officers arrived at the Remedy Medicinals Dispensary on Fisgard Street early in the morning and took three people into custody, but they were later released. Few details have been released as the investigation continues, but police noted Health Canada has not licensed the storefront for sales. The department also said the raid does not change its approach to the nearly 40 marijuana store fronts now operating in the city. [continues 113 words]
In an effort to address the concerns of neighbours nervous about the new overdose prevention site at Our Place, 24-hour security has been added to patrol a two-block area of Pandora Avenue and Johnson Street. The decision to add security patrols wasn't based on any unusual activity in the area, noted Our Place spokesperson Grant McKenzie, but is simply to make sure its neighbours feel safe. "We haven't seen an increase in drug dealing in the area, but whenever there's vulnerable people, those are going to be the customers the drug dealers are looking for so there's always going to be drug dealers around. It's something we certainly don't want to see," said McKenzie, noting the neighbouring Victoria Conservatory of Music has a lot of children coming and going. [continues 563 words]
Whenever the city's top cop looks at the priorities for the Victoria Police Department, he also assesses marijuana dispensaries on a regular basis. He prefers to call them marijuana storefronts rather than dispensaries because that adds there might be a concept of a legal component, in his opinion. But the nearly 40 marijuana dispensaries now operating in the City of Victoria are illegal, which is why the Victoria News recently asked acting police chief Del Manak during a year end interview why police don't shut them down like they have in other communities across Canada. [continues 505 words]
"You can watch if you want," says Brandon as he sits down in a chair and puts his drug paraphernalia on the table in front of a mirror. He fumbles around inside his pocket for the heroin to shoot up and get high. But this time he isn't doing it alone. Brandon is one of more than a dozen people who went to the city's first overdose prevention site that opened at Our Place on Tuesday morning. By noon, around 11 drug users had already used the site to safely inject drugs in the company of a paramedic standing by in case of an overdose. [continues 660 words]
Cold weather has meant more B.C. illicit drug users overdose alone at home, in public washroom stalls or on deserted streets, pushing B.C.'s highest-ever drug death total to new heights. The isolation of drug users, and the likely introduction of even more lethal synthetic opioids into the street drug supply, contributed to 128 B.C. overdose deaths in November, provincial health officials said Monday. That brings the total deaths in B.C. to 755 for the year, up 70 per cent from last year, with little relief in sight for December. [continues 170 words]
When Marianne Alto walked into a public hearing at City Hall regarding the proposed supervised injection sites, she was surprised by what she heard. A number of residents expressed support last week for the supervised injection sites that many are seeing as a new tool to help reduce the number of overdose deaths on Vancouver Island. "Remarkably, the majority of people were very supportive, and I'll confess, it was a surprise to me," said Alto, a city councillor. "In the last 19 months to two years, the situation has become so dire that people have moved from resistance to this as one solution to an acceptance of the fact that this is a solution that's needed." [continues 359 words]
The City of Victoria has approved the Cannabis-Related Business Regulation Bylaw that includes a variety of rules governing the location, allowable clientele, and hours of operation for medical marijuana dispensaries. The rules exist as pre-conditions for both the zoning required for these operations and their business licence prerequisites. The 38 storefront operators currently known to exist in Victoria may now only operate if their premises are re-zoned for the purpose and obtain a specific business licence which will be tied to a series of operational requirements to safeguard the safety of children and respect the surrounding community. [continues 609 words]
The City of Victoria's decision not to regulate the sale of edible pot products at medical marijuana dispensaries means more children could end up in hospital after accidentally ingesting the product, according to Island Health. Last Thursday, council voted to allow the sale of edible pot products in medical marijuana dispensaries, despite health and safety concerns raised by the province's medical health officer, Dr. Perry Kendall. Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said it's not the city's job to regulate what goes into the products. [continues 527 words]
It's been well over a year since Ashley Abraham began putting the wheels in motion to open a marijuana lounge in Victoria. The young entrepreneur had noticed a growing number of people were unable to consume cannabis in their homes due to condo boards or landlords, pushing them to use the drug elsewhere. But now Abraham has found a space for pot lovers aged 19 and older to bring their weed and socialize for a $5 fee. She didn't consult with city officials about her business plans, but maintains she's not breaking any laws. [continues 577 words]
Island Health is throwing its support behind the idea of establishing a supervised consumption site in Greater Victoria. In a letter to Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, Catherine MacKay, Island Health executive vice president and chief operating officer, said it has begun discussions with relevant stakeholders to bring a site to fruition. "Island Health is in the beginning stages of embarking on planning with various stakeholders around the potential establishment of supervised consumption services on the South Island, including in the City of Victoria," MacKay said in the letter. [continues 268 words]
