SALES BRISK AT DEFIANT POT CAFE

Shop Breaking Law, But Drug Should Be Legal, Says Mayor

People were lined up 20-deep for marijuana outside the Da Kine Food and
Beverage shop within minutes of its opening Sunday, while across the street
Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell said the drug should be legalized.

"I support legalization of marijuana but at the same time that doesn't mean
they (Da Kine management) get to flout the law until the law is changed,"
Campbell said.

While Da Kine's selling of marijuana was illegal and a police issue,
Campbell said his earlier comments that it was not a "big deal" was made
from the point of view that it was open for four months with no complaints.

"Certainly there is a big deal from the point of legality. It's illegal and
there's nothing the city can do to change that. It's a federal law and this
idea that we can pass a bylaw that says coffee shops can sell marijuana is
craziness. We can't do it, it's not a municipal responsibility."

While Da Kine continues to sell marijuana -- "poking a stick at the police"
- -- Campbell says there would obviously be repercussions, referring to
Thursday's police raid at the pot shop. In addition to a haul of marijuana
and cash, Da Kine owner Carol Gwilt and seven employees were arrested.

"My answer is you legalize it and tax the living hell out of it. And every
bit of the tax should go straight to health care, not the general fund,"
Campbell said.

Gwilt and others linked to her shop have said selling marijuana over the
counter for medicinal purposes helped get rid of street peddlers. But the
mayor said the cafe's staff "are peddlers themselves.

"The fact of the matter is that it is against the law, it is illegal, they
are trafficking in a drug. Would it make any sense if they opened up and
started selling heroin?"

As customers squeezed inside her store and others lined up outside, Gwilt
- -- who was possibly contravening a condition of her release from custody
that she stay away from marijuana -- said in an interview that if Campbell
can approve of a safe injection site for heroin users, he should do the
same for those who smoke marijuana.

"There's a safe injection site in Vancouver although heroin is illegal.
Why? Because there's a need for it, because people are dying on the street.
And our wonderful mayor has realized this and has come to the aid of his
people, which is what any good mayor will do," Gwilt said.