CITY CONSIDERS OPTIONS AS STORE SELLS POT AGAIN

The future of Vancouver's newest pot store will likely be determined at a
city licensing hearing on Sept. 15.

Barb Windsor, the city's deputy chief licensing inspector, yesterday
confirmed the hearing date, adding a recommendation can be made to council
to suspend or revoke the licence of the Da Kine Smoke and Beverage Shops
Inc., which has been selling marijuana and hashish for the past four months.

"They have a business licence to operate as a limited-service food
[vendor], sell packaged food, sell smoking paraphernalia and other goods,"
Windsor said, adding the shop is allegedly violating its licence by selling
marijuana and violating a health-department bylaw by allowing dope smoking.

Vancouver police spokeswoman Const. Sarah Bloor said although the shop in
1000-block Commercial Drive is on police "radar," they'd prefer to see it
dealt with as a licensing issue rather than a criminal one.

"We are working with the city and we are going to be looking at the
licence," Bloor said. "We'll take our approach from dealing with the city
and determine what our next course of action will be."

Da Kine owner Carol Gwilt spent yesterday monitoring police officers
patrolling near her store as she returned to selling marijuana after
shutting down the Canadian Sanctuary Society, which sells the pot, on
Wednesday.

"It been quiet [police-wise] all day, and we are open for business and it's
busy with people," Gwilt said, adding only registered society members were
sold cannabis. "Other than that, we don't have marijuana [for the general
public], but we are getting a lot of support."

Gwilt has begun compiling names for a petition to take to city hall showing
residents want a place where they can buy marijuana and hash safely.

"I got hundreds today," Gwilt said. "People just want to be counted."

She contended the store is not violating its licence because Da Kine
donates space to the non-profit society that sells the pot and the smoking
room has recently installed a commercial-grade ventilation system.

The Commercial Drive Business Improvement Association has complained about
Da Kine, arguing it is just a block away from secondary and elementary
schools and a community centre.

But Gwilt argued crime has gone down in that block of Commercial Drive
since her store arrived. She added pot smokers aren't as big a problem as
the crack addicts and heroin users who frequent the area.

Gwilt said Vancouver's "biggest pot rally ever" -- the Drug War History
Tour organized by pot activist David Malmo-Levine -- has been scheduled for
Wednesday.