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Vancouver's pot dispensaries test public tolerance for legalization

A burgeoning business selling marijuana in Vancouver, ostensibly for medicinal purposes, has politicians wanting to regulate dispensaries. Long-time cannabis activists jostle with those who see Bucks in that Bud, while residents eyeing sudden new storefronts feel caught in the middle.
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Cannabis crusaders Donald Briere (left) and David Malmo-Levine display product. Briere owns a string of pot dispensaries, while Malmo-Levine just opened one of his own. (Jason Proctor)

If you haven't been in Vancouver lately, then you might not be aware of a budding new sector of the retail economy there.

Over the past few months, the number of storefronts selling medical marijuana has skyrocketed, from just a handful to more than 90 and counting. It's a booming business, despite the fact that selling marijuana from a storefront is plainly illegal.

Maxine Clough worries what Canada Bliss Herbal Society, in her condo building, will do to the reputation of her neighborhood. (Jason Proctor/CBC)

Now Vancouverites are being asked to weigh in on a touchy conversation with public hearings expected in the coming weeks on proposed regulations around the dispensaries.

It's a hazy situation, but CBC reporter Jason Proctor has been investigating the city's marijuana mayhem. He joined us from our Vancouver studio.

Read Jason's analysis on this story: Marijuana dispensaries: citizens caught between Ottawa, pot activists
 

What should Vancouver do about all its marijuana dispensaries — leave them be, regulate them or shut them down?

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