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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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CN BC: Lax Marijuana Laws Baffle Tourists
ccguide Saturday 20 Jul 2002 Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jul 2002 Source: National Post (Canada) Copyright: 2002 Southam Inc. Contact: Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286 Author: Alison Appelbe Pubdate: Thursday, July 18, 2002 LAX MARIJUANA LAWS BAFFLE TOURISTS Magazine Rates Vancouver Best Place For Tolerance Of Weed VANCOUVER - B.C.'s largest city is so renowned for its tolerance of marijuana, many tourists assume selling the drug is legal, say employees at marijuana-related businesses. "There's no open buying and selling in Vancouver, yet unfortunately a lot of people come with that impression," said Scott Hearty at the B.C. Marijuana Party headquarters and bookstore, one of a dozen legal hemp-friendly businesses. Frequently asked where to buy the drug, he said he prefaces his remarks with a "buyer beware" spiel, then adds: "Walk around for half an hour and you're going to be approached by half-a-dozen people trying to sell it to you." Further fuelling such tourism is an article in the summer issue of New-York-based High Times magazine that rates Vancouver the best international destination for tolerance and availability of the cannabis weed. Titled "High Places," the article singles out Vancouver for its physical setting, outdoor activities and public realm in which the consumption of marijuana is unlikely to attract police attention. It also claims marijuana is widely grown, stating: "Having an indoor grow-room in the city is almost as common as having a den." The High Times article rates Amsterdam, where marijuana can be purchased legally, the second-best destination after Vancouver, followed by Barcelona, the Lake Lugano region of Europe and centres in Jamaica and Thailand. While Tourism Vancouver does not promote the marijuana culture, executive vice-president Paul Vallee said visitors are drawn to a relatively easy-going lifestyle, and if marijuana is involved, so be it. "People come here for the same reasons that people live here. It's about life and attitudes." On the other hand, Mr. Vallee said, visitors can be frightened or repelled by the crime and dereliction associated with widespread heroin and cocaine use in the city's Downtown Eastside. "There's been a fair amount of media coverage about Vancouver's drug problem, and that has a negative image," he said. Similarly, Mr. Hearty was quick to disassociate a marijuana culture centered in the 300 block of West Hastings Street with hard drug use in the nearby Downtown Eastside. "You go down to Main and Hastings and you'll find a much different atmosphere," he said. He attributed the success of a cluster of marijuana-driven businesses on West Hastings Street -- currently facing little or no intervention from police -- in part to hard work and a dignified approach to challenging the laws. At the Kitsilano Hemp store -- where pipes, rolling papers and hippie-era clothing are sold -- clerk Valerie Van Breugel agreed the lack of law enforcement attracts foreigners. "I've lived in a lot of cities outside America, and this is the most open city in the world." However, she added that some visitors -- possibly those from U.S. states with particularly restrictive laws -- are surprised by the degree of tolerance. "A lot of people are confused because we sell pipes so openly." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom
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