VANCOUVER OUT OF LINE ON POT, B.C. SOLICITOR GENERAL WARNS

Solicitor General Rich Coleman says it is unacceptable for marijuana
to be openly sold in Vancouver stores while city politicians take a
"ho-hum attitude" to the illegal activity.

"You can't take a soft attitude towards the fact that somebody wants
to sell an illegal drug in a store under a business license in that
city," Coleman said Wednesday, denouncing the city's weak response to
the illegal activity.

Coleman does not direct police operations or investigations, but said
he is confident the law will be enforced.

However, Vancouver police media liaison officer Const. Sarah Bloor
simply repeated the position the department has taken since the issue
exploded last week, after the proprietor of Da Kine Smoke & Beverage
Shop on Commercial Drive admitted marijuana was being sold on the premises:

"We're aware of Rich Coleman's comments and the chief has already
indicated he does not support criminal behaviour from business," Bloor
said Wednesday. "There will be an investigation, and we are in the
process of investigating those businesses that conduct themselves in
an illegal manner."

Bloor would not say whether any other business are under investigation
for selling marijuana.

"We're aware of them, and we prioritize them as to how we can get to
them in relation to other investigations that we have ongoing," she
said.

"We're aware of public concerns and we're addressing those."

Several city councillors appeared unconcerned that stores on
Commercial Drive have been selling marijuana over the counter,
including Da Kine and The Spirit Within.

"I don't think we need a ho-hum attitude to anything [dealing] with
drugs," Coleman said. "You've got people driving into a neighbourhood,
buying marijuana, smoking it and driving away in their cars. . .That,
to me, is unacceptable.

"Marijuana is still against the law in this country to be sold and we
have to deal with it. It's not something we want popping up on every
corner because somebody thinks they can break the law."

Three members of city council will conduct a hearing Sept. 15 to
determine whether the shop's business licence will be revoked. The
hearing will be chaired by Coun. Anne Roberts, assisted by councillors
Fred Bass and Tim Louis.

City lawyers will be present, and Da Kine is expected to bring its own
legal counsel. The VPD may also make a presentation.

Paul Teichroeb, Vancouver's chief licence inspector, says there was no
suggestion marijuana might be sold in the shop when Da Kine was
granted a business licence May 4.

"We were somewhat concerned, so we were very careful about asking them
about exactly their type of business and what they were going to
sell," he said Wednesday.

"We were assured it was going to be publications and some food, and
everything that would conform to the bylaw, and on that basis we
issued a licence.

"We were very specific about whether there was going to be any illegal
activity or sale of marijuana or other products, and we were assured
that that wasn't going to occur on the premise."

Da Kine proprietor Carol Gwilt said the marijuana is sold not by Da
Kine, but by the Canadian Cannabis Sanctuary Society, a non-profit
society to which Da Kine donates operating space.

Purchasers are asked to fill out an "application for registration"
with a declaration that "ingesting cannabis has therapeutic benefits
to my medical condition and my general state of well-being that
outweigh any health risks associated with it."

Possession of a one-month supply of medicinal marijuana is legal in
Canada for people who are terminally or chronically ill and who apply
to Health Canada for approval. About 900 people across Canada have
been approved, but a legal source of medicinal marijuana remains a
problem.

The model has similarities to that of the B.C. Compassion Club, an
eight-year-old organization that focuses on distributing cannabis to
those who need it to treat symptoms of a medical condition, such as
nausea and appetite loss caused by cancer treatment. Compassion Club
founder Hilary Black said the club does not sell to anyone who asks.

"I would say we have more stringent requirements, and the other thing
that make us very different is that we provide health care," she said
Wednesday. "We have a complete wellness centre where we're providing a
whole range of holistic health care to our clients."

She said the Compassion Club is able to exist largely because of
longstanding relationships with officials and lawmakers, and adds the
organization is sufficiently well-established to differentiate itself
from businesses like Da Kine.

However, she added that she understands what Da Kine is doing. "I
think it's really important for people to be able to access
recreational cannabis in an above-board, clean environment. I do
believe that what Da Kine is doing is a part of greater harm-reduction
program for this city."

Coleman said it's ironic that the city of Vancouver won't allow
spirits, or hard liquor in cold beer and wine stores and yet is
willing to turn a blind eye to the open sale of marijuana from stores.

Gwilt took issue with remarks made Tuesday by tourism officials and
the Vancouver Board of Trade, who said the open sale of drugs is
hurting the city's tourism business.

"There are so many people that used to go to Amsterdam, and now
they're coming to Vancouver for this and people are moving to the area
because they think it's just fabulous and so progressive," she said.