Why Toronto's cannabis 'grey market' 'ain't going nowhere' as legalization looms - Toronto - CBC News - Salma Ibrahim:
February 12, 2018 - "They've been raided, warned and put on notice. But as legalization looms, players who describe themselves as part of Toronto's cannabis "grey market" say they simply aren't going anywhere....
"Many dispensary owners and lounge operators say they're part of a grey market, not a black market, because they say their status under the law is murky and ambiguous. But currently, the only legally sold weed is for medical purposes and is delivered by licensed producers via Canada Post. Storefront dispensaries, medical or otherwise, are illegal. Lounges, under the proposed Cannabis Act, would also be outside the law....
"There were high hopes that the existing distribution network would be adopted into a legal framework post-legalization but the province has set up an LCBO subsidiary to be the only legal retailer of cannabis. Nonetheless, players in the existing network of businesses refuse to be pushed out. There are 219 weed delivery services and 66 dispensaries listed in Toronto on Weedmaps — a popular app that maps and reviews cannabis shops and strains in North America....
"Justin Loizos ... owns Just Compassion, a medical pot dispensary in Toronto's west end, and believes he is poised to adapt his business model enough to squeeze into the legal framework. ''I could put a doctor's office out front, a vapour lounge here, bongs for sale, maybe some [hydroponic] equipment,' he said. It all depends on the legal regulations the province lays down, he says. Either way, he has no plans to leave the industry....
"Loizos set up shop after finding that cannabis provided rare relief from his struggles with multiple sclerosis and PTSD. He says his shop allows people with medical needs quicker access to the drug than Health Canada's current delivery system....
"Tania Cyalume ... used to run Queens of Cannabis, a dispensary that was shut down by Toronto police.... Now, she's moved her business to a more flexible model. 'There are various pop-up markets in the city every month and so we've just been jumping around from place to place and our patients follow us,' she said.... The pop-up market organizers are very careful to keep their location a secret so that they're not targeted by police....
"[T]here will likely still be a demand for underground pot after marijuana is legalized, argues at least one expert.... Miles Light, founder of the Colorado-based Marijuana Policy Group ... blames this gap on the 'bottleneck' that will be created if only 80 storefronts open up in Ontario, a province of over 14 million people, by 2019 as promised.
"'Colorado has over 800 outlets and we only have five million people so if the consumers can't get marijuana at a reasonable access point then they'll probably return to the black market.'"
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/joint-ventures-black-market-1.4528840
'via Blog this'
February 12, 2018 - "They've been raided, warned and put on notice. But as legalization looms, players who describe themselves as part of Toronto's cannabis "grey market" say they simply aren't going anywhere....
"Many dispensary owners and lounge operators say they're part of a grey market, not a black market, because they say their status under the law is murky and ambiguous. But currently, the only legally sold weed is for medical purposes and is delivered by licensed producers via Canada Post. Storefront dispensaries, medical or otherwise, are illegal. Lounges, under the proposed Cannabis Act, would also be outside the law....
"There were high hopes that the existing distribution network would be adopted into a legal framework post-legalization but the province has set up an LCBO subsidiary to be the only legal retailer of cannabis. Nonetheless, players in the existing network of businesses refuse to be pushed out. There are 219 weed delivery services and 66 dispensaries listed in Toronto on Weedmaps — a popular app that maps and reviews cannabis shops and strains in North America....
"Justin Loizos ... owns Just Compassion, a medical pot dispensary in Toronto's west end, and believes he is poised to adapt his business model enough to squeeze into the legal framework. ''I could put a doctor's office out front, a vapour lounge here, bongs for sale, maybe some [hydroponic] equipment,' he said. It all depends on the legal regulations the province lays down, he says. Either way, he has no plans to leave the industry....
"Loizos set up shop after finding that cannabis provided rare relief from his struggles with multiple sclerosis and PTSD. He says his shop allows people with medical needs quicker access to the drug than Health Canada's current delivery system....
"Tania Cyalume ... used to run Queens of Cannabis, a dispensary that was shut down by Toronto police.... Now, she's moved her business to a more flexible model. 'There are various pop-up markets in the city every month and so we've just been jumping around from place to place and our patients follow us,' she said.... The pop-up market organizers are very careful to keep their location a secret so that they're not targeted by police....
"[T]here will likely still be a demand for underground pot after marijuana is legalized, argues at least one expert.... Miles Light, founder of the Colorado-based Marijuana Policy Group ... blames this gap on the 'bottleneck' that will be created if only 80 storefronts open up in Ontario, a province of over 14 million people, by 2019 as promised.
"'Colorado has over 800 outlets and we only have five million people so if the consumers can't get marijuana at a reasonable access point then they'll probably return to the black market.'"
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/joint-ventures-black-market-1.4528840
'via Blog this'
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