POT SHOP CLOSES, FEARING VISIT BY COPS

A cafe that has openly sold marijuana over the counter for the past four
months stopped the practice Wednesday in anticipation of a visit by police.

But owner Carol Gwilt told reporters she hopes the city and police will
allow her Da Kine Smoke and Beverage Shop at 1018 Commercial Dr. to stay in
business and resume selling the drug.

Explaining her decision to post signs advising customers that marijuana
sales would not be available Wednesday, Gwilt said: "I'm just being
pre-emptive. I'm protecting my assets. I'm closed for my own protection.
There's nothing to bust people for today."

Asked what goods or services her business licence permits her to provide,
Gwilt refused to comment.

Vancouver police spokeswoman Const. Sarah Bloor said the force "had
concerns" when the cafe first applied to the city for a business licence in
January.

Bloor declined to say what those concerns were, but said they were raised
with city staff, who approved the licence in May.

Now that Gwilt has acknowledged selling marijuana over the counter, Bloor
said police will decide with city officials on a course of action.

"The Vancouver police department is working with city licensing to find a
solution to this," Bloor said in an interview. "Hopefully, the business
licence will be lifted."

While police knew of the pot sales, Bloor said the department didn't
regularly monitor the activities of the cafe or step in earlier because of
a lack of resources.

"We were aware of what the situation was, but we have to prioritize our
responsibilities and the way our resources are deployed," Bloor said. "When
you don't have enough resources, it's hard to take action. We hadn't
received any complaints."

However, Pia Tofini Johnson, of the 225-member Commercial Drive Business
Improvement Association, said she is "absolutely livid" that neither police
nor the city have done anything so far to curtail the Da Kine operation.

"The BIA is totally against that place," said Johnson, longtime owner of
Turistano International Travel. "They should never have been allowed to
open in the first place.... What they're doing is against the law and it
should be stopped. You can't have selective enforcement of the law.

"The Commercial Drive area is wonderful. We don't want it ruined."

BIA president Carmen D'Onofrio Jr., an area wine merchant and shoe store
operator, said he remains baffled that Da Kine managed to get its licence
approved, especially since the cafe is located a block away from an
elementary school, a high school and a community centre.

"We're not trying to be exclusive," D'Onofrio said. "All we're asking is
for businesses to be responsible and viable members of the community. This
is a family-oriented neighbourhood."

Johnson said minutes from a July 8 business improvement association meeting
show that two police constables were in attendance when Da Kine's
marijuana-selling activities were discussed.

"Whether they told anybody, who knows," Johnson said.

Another association meeting July 15 was attended by Coun. Tim Stevenson,
along with staff members from the city's licencing, engineering, sanitation
and parking departments, she said.

"We brought [Da Kine's activities] to their attention, that people were
selling and smoking on the premises."

Johnson said the merchants were told by a licensing inspector -- whom she
did not identify -- that the licensing department was short-staffed in the
summer, but the matter would be investigated in September.

Gwilt told reporters she considers her cafe to be a vital part of
Vancouver's overall harm reduction plan when it comes to dealing with drug use.

The marijuana is not on display inside her premises, but is brought out
from a back room -- much as it is in the cannabis cafes in Amsterdam -- and
sales are limited to one ounce a customer, who must be at least 19 years old.