A new study suggests Vancouver pot smokers could generate up to $29 million annually for the province in additional tax revenue if marijuana was taxed at the same rate as cigarettes. The 2018 Cannabis Price Index, compiled by pot-tech startup Seedo, looked at the cost of cannabis around the world. The study then calculated how much additional tax revenue each city's population of pot smokers might generate based on each city's consumption and average marijuana and cigarette tax rates in the U.S. [continues 393 words]
Food cart vendors raised concerns about site An open-air weed market operating in downtown Vancouver's Robson Square has been shut down by police. Complaints were filed in recent weeks with the Vancouver police over vendors who had set up tents and carts in the pedestrian-only area, selling cannabis and related products. Nearby food cart vendors voiced concerns about marijuana booths selling to minors, and there were questions about whether they had business licences such as what is required of the food cart vendors. [continues 262 words]
Food vendors had filed complaints about cannabis sales near art gallery An open-air weed market operating in downtown Vancouver's Robson Square has been shut down by police. Complaints were filed in recent weeks with the Vancouver police over vendors who had set up tents and carts in the pedestrian-only area, selling cannabis and related products. Nearby food cart vendors voiced concerns about marijuana booths selling to minors, and there were questions about whether they had business licences, such as what is required of the food cart vendors. [continues 262 words]
Ontario's plan to sell marijuana from government-operated stores would never fly in B.C., a local pot advocate says. Vancouver's Dana Larsen suggests a provincial government store could never compete with established and independent dispensaries in offering the same variety of products that consumers seek - such as different strains and edibles - and that the Ontario government won't be able to open shops fast enough to keep pace with demand. "Police raids aside, I don't think this model of legalization competes at all with what current dispensaries can offer," he told Postmedia from Toronto, where he was attending the Karma Cup cannabis competition and festival on Saturday. [continues 257 words]
An annual pot rally will keep on rolling, even after the Vancouver park board denied organizers a special permit for the event. "We're going to keep asking for permits and we're going to keep getting more and more entrenched," said Dana Larsen, marijuana advocate and member of the Vancouver 4/20 Events Society. "We didn't get a permit this year, probably won't get one next year, but I predict that within five years, we'll be permitted and one day, we'll have the mayor of Vancouver down there." [continues 428 words]
All hands were on deck for Welfare Wednesday, as an opioid crisis continues to sweep the most vulnerable in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Wednesday was the busiest day seen by staff at the Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) since it was set up last week to relieve the pressure on hospital emergency wards, said Dr. Sunil Mangal, who was staffing the MMU late Wednesday. A total of 25 overdose patients were treated, compared to the previous record of 15 in a single day. [continues 529 words]
More spaces offering Naloxone in works in response to opioid crisis The two new overdose prevention sites announced Thursday for Vancouver aren't meant as permanent supervised injection sites, but are an emergency response to the current opioid overdose crisis, health officials say. On Thursday, B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake announced in a statement that two new sites had been set up in Vancouver and were up-and-running as of Thursday, with another two each in Victoria and Surrey that will follow later this month. Additional sites throughout Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, and another in Victoria's Rock Bay area, will also come at a later date, though specific addresses for those sites haven't yet been announced. All will be located in areas identified as having high numbers of overdoses. [continues 373 words]
The two new overdose prevention sites announced Thursday for Vancouver aren't meant as permanent supervised injection sites, but are an emergency response to the current opioid overdose crisis, health officials say. On Thursday, B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake announced in a statement that two new sites had been set up in Vancouver and were up-and-running as of Thursday, with another two each in Victoria and Surrey that will follow later this month. Additional sites throughout Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, and another in Victoria's Rock Bay area, will also come at a later date, though specific addresses for those sites haven't yet been announced. All will be located in areas identified as having high numbers of overdoses. [continues 369 words]
Three people were arrested and released on Thursday as RCMP investigate a Surrey marijuana dispensary. Around 5:30 p.m., Surrey RCMP officers executed a search warrant on Da Kine Glass and Gifts at 10330 152nd St. in Guildford, according to the shop's owner. Officers had been stationed outside the shop for about 24 hours awaiting the warrant. "They won't tell us anything," said Don Briere, owner of the Weeds Glass and Gifts chain, which includes the Da Kine Guildford shop. Briere said officers were boxing up items in the shop and obtaining security camera footage on Thursday evening. [continues 295 words]
Investigation: Owner decided to close Surrey marijuana dispensary, says RCMP 'wasting our resources' Three people were arrested and released on Thursday as RCMP investigate a Surrey marijuana dispensary. Around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Surrey RCMP officers executed a search warrant on Da Kine Glass and Gifts at 10330 152nd St. in Guildford, according to the shop's owner. Officers had been stationed outside the shop for about 24 hours awaiting the warrant. "They won't tell us anything," said Don Briere, owner of the Weeds Glass and Gifts chain, which includes the Da Kine Guildford shop. Briere said officers were boxing up items in the shop and obtaining security camera footage on Thursday evening. [continues 702 words]
First Step: New rules allow patients to grow their own medical marijuana, or have a designated grower Local pot advocates applauded the federal government Thursday after it announced new rules that will allow patients to grow medical marijuana for their own use, or designate a grower to do so for them. The Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations go into effect on Aug. 24, replacing the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations. Under the ACMPR, patients who have been authorized by a doctor to access medical cannabis will be allowed to produce a limited amount of pot for personal use, or designate a grower to produce it for them. Those wishing to grow their own medical cannabis will need to first register with Health Canada. [continues 654 words]
A local pot businessman has filed a constitutional challenge against the City of Vancouver, hoping to keep his dispensaries open. Don Briere of the Weeds Glass and Gifts chain of dispensaries filed a court petition earlier this month, arguing the city's bylaws on dispensary licensing infringe on a constitutional right to access medical marijuana. The challenge was filed July 11 and argues that the city's licensing and zoning bylaws for dispensaries "unduly restrict access to medical marijuana" and infringe on charter rights. It also argues that any bylaw tickets that have been issued to dispensaries remaining open should be voided. [continues 234 words]
A local pot businessman has filed a constitutional challenge against the City of Vancouver, hoping to keep his dispensaries open.. Don Briere of the Weeds Glass and Gifts chain of dispensaries filed a court petition earlier this month, arguing the city's licensing bylaws, which went into effect in May, infringe on a constitutional right to access medical marijuana. The challenge, filed July 11, argues the city's licensing and zoning bylaws for dispensaries "unduly restrict access to medical marijuana" and infringe on charter rights. It also argues that any bylaw tickets that have been issued to dispensaries should be declared void. [continues 309 words]
Recruits Know First-Hand About Life for Many in the Downtown Eastside Those who attempt to provide care in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside without first understanding the complex issues faced by the area's population might as well be speaking an entirely different language. That's according to Daniel Benson, one of 12 newly hired peer advisers who are helping Vancouver Coastal Health roll out its Second Generation Strategy (SGS) in the DTES. "I've seen the pendulum swing both ways as far as the laws and people's attitudes go and now it's going in a positive direction with all the harm reduction, so that's refreshing to see," said Benson. "We hope to - and I hope to - influence their decisions, to make service deliveries down here more efficient, more compassionate and do a better job all around. [continues 495 words]
Activist arrested at Calgary tour stop Vancouver-based pot activist Dana Larsen vows to push ahead with his pro-legalization rallies and tour despite being arrested and charged in Calgary this week for distributing marijuana seeds. "It's absolutely fuelling the fire," he said Thursday. "I'm getting more requests for seeds and have more people contacting me to donate seeds - so really, this kind of harassment just gets people worked up and gets way more media attention." Larsen, 44, was arrested Wednesday evening in Calgary during the second stop of his cross-country OverGrow Canada tour. [continues 404 words]
Naloxone, a drug used to treat overdoses, is now available in Canada without a prescription, Health Canada announced Tuesday. The news comes as Metro Vancouver drug users are being warned to be cautious about bad batches of fentanyl and what's expected to be the arrival of W-18, a painkiller that is up to 100 times stronger than fentanyl, to B.C. Also known as Narcan, Naloxone is used to reverse the effects of opioids and can restore breathing within two to five minutes. Up until now, the drug required a doctor's prescription. Tuesday, the health authority shared the update in a notice posted to its website. [continues 185 words]
LEGALIZATION: Medical Marijuana Stock Prices Smokin' Hot in Wake of Liberal's Majority Victory B.C.'s pot advocates are urging legalization sooner rather than later, now that a Liberal majority government is in place and medical marijuana stocks have begun to surge. "I think it's going to have to move pretty quickly," said Sensible B.C.'s Dana Larsen. "There's no real reason to delay things." Medical marijuana stocks surged Tuesday following the election victory of the Liberal Party, with Canopy Growth Corp. up more than 10 per cent in morning trading to $2.40. [continues 389 words]
British Columbians Headed South on the Road to Legal Weed Will Need to Beware of a Few Potholes. Tuesday marked the first day of business for two Bellingham, Wash., shops now legally selling recreational marijuana, but Canadians shopping for green souvenirs, or vacationers hoping to pick up a few grams of pot before hitting the cabin for a weekend ski trip, will need to be careful. While Washington state law allows recreational marijuana use, U.S. border guards work for the federal government, which still classifies pot as a controlled substance. Len Saunders, a Bellingham-based immigration lawyer, cautioned that southbound British Columbians - especially groups of youth - may draw increased scrutiny from border guards on the lookout for pot tourists. [continues 818 words]
The death this week of a 23-year-old man due to an apparent overdose at the Shambhala Music Festival has sparked a heated online debate about drug use at such events. Mitchell Joseph Fleischacker of Sidney died en route to hospital after collapsing early Sunday at the festival near Salmo. According to police, he was believed to have been "suffering from a drug over-dose." Shambhala, a five-day electronic music and arts festival that began Aug. 8, is held on the privately owned Salmo River Ranch. [continues 282 words]
