91原创 marijuana activist Randy Caine gave a mostly positive review to the provincial government鈥檚 proposed plans for the legalization of recreational cannabis.
鈥淚 really like what I鈥檓 seeing in British Columbia,鈥� Caine told The Times.
On Tuesday, provincial Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth said the legal minimum age for marijuana consumption will be set at 19, in line with alcohol and tobacco, when the federal government makes recreational use legal next July.
The BC Liquor Distribution Branch will handle wholesale distribution to both public and private retailers.
Caine said it makes sense to make the minimum age 19 so it is 鈥渃ompletely consistent.鈥�
He approves the move to a 鈥渂lended system鈥� where marijuana will be sold by both public and private retailers, but he doesn鈥檛 think it would be a good idea to sell marijuana in government liquor stores with wine, beer and hard liquor.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e (alcohol and marijuana) very unique and different types of products,鈥� Caine said.
鈥淲hen you use them together, they don鈥檛 blend very well.鈥�
Caine thinks marijuana should be treated like wine, not hard liquor, and he would like to see the province allow small, marijuana grow operations with sales outlets.
鈥淲hy not model ourselves a bit after vineyards?鈥� Caine said.
鈥淭hat would be a clever way to handle it.鈥�
Caine said he is interested in becoming a retailer of non-medicinal marijuana, but not a grower.
鈥淚 would really like to do this.鈥�
He said he鈥檚 been 鈥渉aving small discussions with the City and the Township鈥� about it, but they are waiting for more details from the province.
Caine said it was personally satisfying to witness a historic shift from marijuana being criminalized to a discussion over how to regulate and sell it legally.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very exciting moment,鈥� Caine said.
鈥淚鈥檓 old enough to remember when we were hunted like dogs.鈥�
Caine operates stores selling legal hemp products in both 91原创s and White Rock and has often campaigned for reducing restrictions on marijuana use.
When he opened his Hempyz novelty store in downtown 91原创, the City first refused him a business licence, but later backed down and changed the law to allow it.
Caine also clashed with the city of Surrey when he owned and operated The Joint coffee house in Surrey.
Surrey council denied Caine a business licence for the entire 18 months his shop operated from 1995 to 1997.
Caine waged a lengthy court battle to repeal Canada鈥檚 Criminal Code ban on marijuana, arguing that it violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Caine launched the constitutional challenge 鈥� which made it all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada 鈥� after being arrested in White Rock with a joint that weighed 0.5 grams.
Ultimately the court ruled against him.
Caine was charged, but not convicted, of drug trafficking in July of 2011 when his legal medical marijuana dispensary in 91原创 City was raided by the RCMP.
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The charge was dropped in June 2013 when Caine pleaded guilty to less serious violations of exceeding the amount of marijuana he was allowed under his Health Canada licence and of storing it improperly.
He was then granted an absolute discharge on both counts. Under Canadian law, an absolute discharge is not considered a conviction.
Despite that, Caine later discovered he has been been flagged as a 鈥渟ecurity threat鈥� for being a drug trafficker when he and his wife were denied entry to Mexico.
Caine has filed a request with the RCMP under the federal Access to Information Act to find out exactly who was responsible for making what Caine described as 鈥渇alse and baseless鈥� allegations, but two years on, has yet to received an answer.
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The province kicked off several weeks of public consultation in late September and released Tuesday鈥檚 recommendations following input from nearly 50,000 British Columbians, and submissions from 141 local and Indigenous governments.
Farnworth assured reporters at the start of consultation that the government was doing everything it could to finish its work by the July deadline.
Marijuana dispensary owners in Vancouver weren鈥檛 all pleased with the government鈥檚 decision.
Troy, the manager of Vancouver鈥檚 Lime Life Society,
鈥淭he proposals all suck,鈥� Troy, who declined to provide his last name, said.
鈥淭he plan to sell it in liquor stores is completely unfeasible and unreasonable.鈥�
Despite the public input campaign, Troy feels that the proposed provincial regulations are overbearing for an industry that he says has done fine on its own.
鈥淯nfortunately, it鈥檚 people making decisions about products and services they don鈥檛 know much about, or aren鈥檛 educated on,鈥� he said.
The federal bill to legalize and regulate marijuana, introduced in early 2017, received final approval in the House of Commons last week.
It now moves to the Senate, where it is likely to face heavy opposition from Conservatives who argue legalization should be delayed because the process is being rushed.
Further details on the rules for recreational pot in B.C. won鈥檛 be released until early 2018.
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- with files from Katya Slepian, Black Press
dan.ferguson@langleytimes.com
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