Some Vancouver dispensaries closing; many people say legalization won’t change much
Posted October 17, 2018 7:23 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Not everyone involved in the pot industry is thrilled about the arrival of legalized marijuana in Canada.
Several Vancouver marijuana dispensaries that have been operating for awhile will not be open for business.
“(We won’t be opening) because our application is being put through currently and we are getting the message that they don’t want anybody to be open while you’re application is being put through once the 17th hits,” says Mike, who manages the West End dispensary on Bute St.
He’s not sure how long the closure will last, as the provincial government considers his store’s application. “It could anywhere from one month to three months to a year, I’m hearing. We have to continue securing the location and paying the rent.”
In the meantime, most of his five employees are now looking for other work while the dispensary’s regular clientele is not happy.
“There are a lot of very upset people because they don’t have easy access, spontaneous access to medical marijuana,” he said.
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At the same time, any new users considering giving marijuana a try for one of the first time shouldn’t dive in head-first.
“Try a little bit of it. See how that makes you feel before you take more of it. And that’s very important. We’ve seen in the United States, some people get a little over-enthusiastic upon consumer legalization and they over-consume,” said Cam Battley, the chief corporate officer of Edmonton-based Aurora Cannabis Inc.
“There’s no known level of lethal overdose with cannabis, so you can’t die from it,” he added.
But there can be anxiety-related issues for anyone unfamiliar with the effects of marijuana. So, Battley says you should take it slow the first few times and don’t seek out the strongest strain right away.
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But for a lot of people — smokers and non-smokers alike — today doesn’t change a thing.
“I think it’s just going to stay the same, like I guess, it won’t change, no,” one woman, who is a regular smoker, said.
“I mean people who smoke it have been smoking it in Vancouver anyway. I don’t think it’s going to be a big change,” said another, who does not smoke or otherwise use marijuana.
“About 10 minutes ago, just walking down the sidewalk and (I saw) someone in front of me smoking already so there’s going to be more of that. It’s already happening, people are already smoking it out in public so. People are just going to do it quite freely,” said a man who also does not use marijuana in any form.
– With files from Marcus Fitzgerald, Amelia John, and John Ackermann
