Cannabis will officially be legal on Oct. 17, but as the period of a legal grey area closes, it is obvious that some communities have had an easier transition than others.
Moving to Squamish from Ottawa a year ago, the differences to interim legalization were so dramatic it’s almost absurd.
In Ottawa, police and municipal officials have waged war against illegal ‘pop-up’ pot shops.
Raids remain common, and stores are regularly shut down. They reopen just as quickly as they are shuttered. The result is a patchwork of bare-bones operations in random locations around the city, with budtenders behind thick plexiglass counters, fearful of arrest.
In Squamish, the selling of cannabis appears to be quite the family affair – with seniors behind the counter and dogs posing in grand-opening photos. The community’s laid-back approach is almost a tourist attraction.
Despite some concern around bylaws conflicting with federal laws, since cannabis is not yet legal, the District has worked diligently on zoning and regulation for private stores.
And on March 16, Mayor Patricia Heintzman and an entourage of politicians from the BC Mayor’s Caucus even paid the 99 North Dispensary on Second Avenue a visit.
The trip was for policy research, rather than supplies to get through afternoon meetings, but it certainly illustrates the good faith attitude of municipal politicians to pay a visit to a yet-still-illegal dispensary.
Outside of individual cities, B.C. and Ontario are two different provinces taking very different strategies on legalization.
Ottawa’s struggle with illegal shops may soon be over – the Ontario government has closed the door on the possibility of private retailers. Instead, cannabis will only be sold in provincial stores.
The existing eradication efforts in Ottawa are well-suited to this model, just as Squamish’s existing private retailers and zoning regulations are beginning to align with BC’s plans.
While details have not been finalized, Mike Farnworth, B.C.’s minister of public safety and solicitor general, has said that there will most likely be a mix of private and public retailers.
A lot has been written about the winners and losers of cannabis legalization. A lot is still to be determined. While the size of the two communities alone makes it impossible to compare them, Squamish certainly takes the green ribbon for its civility.
