5815 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

I highly doubt that the street suppliers are out of business. Since we know that the pot shops are not buying from licensed growers then they are getting their pot from the same people who were selling on the street a year ago who in turn are buying from HA affiliates since the HA control all distribution on the Island.

Exactly. They are not out of business, just out the money for a business license (those who bother to get one in any case). The CoV may have legitimized illegal businesses, but otherwise nothing has changed.

[On the Level]

Sugar kills, Alcohol kills, lot's of prescription meds kill..... Let me decide what I ingest thank you very much and let's remove the criminal element so it can be better controlled and regulated. Part of accelerating that is to just do it. Otherwise the legal mumbo jumbo will always be in the way. Better to break the international treaty and force the players to come to the table and renegotiate.

 

I might add that sugar and alcohol is also terrible for a schizophrenic or someone who is predisposed to become such. Many more societal and health problems are due to alcohol. Why single this out? Oh ya. Money. Well now the money has changed sides so.... it's happening. 

http://bjp.rcpsych.o...164/5/630.short

https://www.psycholo...surprising-link

 

Basing your argument "accelerating pot to the masses" should be done because sugar and alcohol kill?  It's OK to shoplift because people rob banks?  Of course the study you have found indicates "a worse 2-year outcome of schizophrenia" from sugar?  Can you please provide one that clinically show schizophrenia being brought on by sugar?

 

 Your quite willing to negate the New England Journal of Medicine....June 5, 2014;

 

http://www.nejm.org/...6/NEJMra1402309

 

"Despite some contentious discussions regarding the addictiveness of marijuana, the evidence clearly indicates that long term marijuana use can lead to addiction.  Approximately 9% of those that experiment with marijuana will become addicted."

 

https://www.utoronto...k-schizophrenia

 

"The discovery, made from a combined analysis of over 1,500 youth, contributes to a growing body of evidence implicating cannabis use in adolescence and schizophrenia later in life"

 

I don't care if you smoke or not.  I do care about products that are clearly targeted to children like the "Cherry Jelly Bombs" shown on the TC.  I care about the marketing and misinformation.  I care about the 9%

 

 

 

[dasmo]

I don't smoke pot.... and you don't have children....

[Jason-L]

For Jason-L and dasmo, what are your thoughts on published studies from health sciences? For example, the study in the journal JAMA Psychiatry on Schizophrenia and Cannabis? Are these studies discredited for you due to some form of conspiracy?

Given the largest percentage of those currently in rehab in Victoria are for Cannabis dependency, are you under the belief that Cannabis is completely harmless? Perhaps you believe those seeking help are "being forced" to do so by others or perhaps you would use another social issue like alcoholism to justify Cannabis use?

My general thought is that I'm glad there's now the opportunity to do some research into the effects and uses for cannabis.  The drug laws in the US have made that kind of research difficult to perform, so it's good see more effort being put that way.

I also don't think it's completely harmless.  Neither is caffeine, sugar, nicotine, alcohol, Kentucky Fried Chicken or many other substances we ingest ... which is to say that we find some things socially acceptable to use, even if they're harmful.  I don't know if that means we have to justify cannabis use.

 

Mostly, I'm just fascinated by how fast the storefronts have spread and what that says about the amount of pot use in the CRD, since those shops are feeding the demand from probably most of the south island.  There's more demand for pot in Victoria than for 7-11 or Subway or McDonalds or pretty much everything.  It also suggest the calls for them to be shutdown are the minority voice.

 

[rmpeers]

Hi
Most people I have spoken to about this are opposed to the numerous pot shops. Not so much because they regard it as the devil weed but more because of the inevitable organzied crime connections, the disingenuousness of the medicinal angle and the general hypocrisy of the City enforcing the law selectively.

[sdwright.vic]

^ #validfirstpost

[VicHockeyFan]

You know, I was thinking last night about all the rules of the pot shop bylaw.  I'm sure just about all would lose a proper court challenge.

 

Hours of business?  You do not do that to other businesses except liquor businesses, and that's a higher jurisdiction that has say there.

 

Window coverings?  Where are you to say this one type of business has to have certain window coverings or not?

 

Signage?  Ditto, apart from meeting normal signage guidelines all businesses must meet.

 

Advertising ban?  That's serious over-reach that would never survive a challenge.  Ad bans and regulations etc. apply to liquor and tobacco etc., nothing else that local stores sell.  And again, the regulations are higher up.

 

However, who is going to challenge the bylaws, when the response might be a police raid and arrests?

[shoeflack]

In theory, the bylaw would lose a proper court battle because it allows for the sale of an illegal substance. The rest is irrelevant.

 

But presuming that is not the case, and dispensaries have to follow the same laws as places that sell tobacco and/or alcohol, then aren't these all fair policies? I mean, tobacco and alcohol "dispensaries" all face similar restrictions. If marijuana falls into the same category, then it seems fair.

 

But again, all moot considering the higher up regulatory body (Feds) still considers this substance illegal.

[spanky123]

The Mayor's position is that they cannot shut down pot shops because the courts toss out the charges (not true but that is her position). If these same shops fail to pay the City $12,500 then now apparently the police can shut them down and the court rulings that the Mayor keeps referencing no longer apply.

[Nparker]

The courts apparently show preferential treatment to those breaking municipal licensing bylaws versus federal drug legislation. 

[rmpeers]

Yes funny how they will be fair game for enforcement if they start violating bylaws. I'm sure the owners of these stores are quaking in their boots at the thought that bylaw officers might take time out from ticketimg Cody to come after dispensaries.

Very hard to take seriously anything the mayor says on this subject.

Edited by rmpeers, 22 March 2017 - 02:40 PM.

[Nparker]

...Very hard to take seriously anything the mayor says on this subject.

There, I fixed that for you.

[Mike K.]

Dude gets high, causes a traffic accident, then takes off only to be followed and eventually admit on camera he got high and caused an accident.

D'oh.

 

https://www.liveleak...=d6c_1490196449

[dasmo]

We should make cars illegal. Too dangerous....

[sdwright.vic]

So funny enough, Sunday was at Vic West Park at the new fenced in dog park. Place was pretty hoping! Two animal Victoria animalcontrol officers show up checking for, for all things... dog license's. So funds being sent to enforce the infraction once again on dog's... but hey, just ignore the friggen pot.

[tedward]

The courts apparently show preferential treatment to those breaking municipal licensing bylaws versus federal drug legislation. 

 

I guess Nparker must have me on ignore as I have pointed out several times that the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that medicinal marijuana users have aright to access their "medicine". They let the law stay on the books but what is the point in laying charges that will simply be thrown out on appeal?

I actually hope they charge them and the case goes to court and the Supreme Court gets another kick at the can, which at this point could be to nullify totally the law they told the government to re-write already.

[rmpeers]

[quote name="tedward" I have pointed out several times that the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that medicinal marijuana users have aright to access their "medicine". They let the law stay on the books but what is the point in laying charges that will simply be thrown out on appeal?[/quote]

I would tend to agree if we were talking about legit medicine here. But can anyone claim with a straight face that the majority of the customers in our pot shops are there for actual medical reasons?

If they are, then we must have a massive health crisis on our hands.

[Nparker]

I guess Nparker must have me on ignore as I have pointed out several times that the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that medicinal marijuana users have aright to access their "medicine". ..

Which they can do in an entirely legal way that does not involve storefront dispensaries. End of story.

[Nparker]

...can anyone claim with a straight face that the majority of the customers in our pot shops are there for actual medical reasons...

Of course not, but that doesn't fit the victim narrative the "medicinal" marijuana advocates want to portray.

[Mike K.]

A friend who uses a government sanctioned supplier says the service is amazing. He says there's no need for storefront dispensaries, he gets his stuff delivered, pre-rolled and loose, and multiple varieties at a time in order to not develop an immunity to a single strain.

I think he also receives edibles but I'll need to confirm that.