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VANCOUVER -- The lineup outside the Vancouver café forms even before the doors open. Couples, students -- even the odd senior -- stand patiently in the September drizzle. They all know what's on the menu, so it's worth the damp wait.
The cafe is called Da Kine (a superlative in Hawaiian slang) and here marijuana is sold openly. The sidewalk sign says it's a smoke and beverage shop. But inside, customers ignore the juice and pop fridge and head straight for the counter. Two joints cost $10, and most customers leave with a smug smile on their faces.
Da Kine isn't the first café in this pot-friendly West Coast city to put marijuana on the menu, but it may be the most blatant. Da Kine has a few chairs and tables, but apart from non-alcoholic drinks, there's nothing to ingest except pot and hashish.
Owner Carol Gwilt recently raised the stakes -- and police tempers -- by openly admitting her marijuana sales. In some media interviews, it appeared she was daring police to charge her.
Ms. Gwilt said she's providing a service to the city.
"This is something Vancouver obviously needs," she said yesterday. "There's an incredible market for it."
A diehard marijuana activist, Ms. Gwilt has vowed to keep selling pot until Ottawa decriminalizes the possession and sale of the drug. Da Kine, she said, sells pot to people to relieve pain from a disease or condition. Her operation is a registered charity, she said, and customers are required to fill out an application seeking a federal exemption allowing them to use the drug for medical reasons.
But doctors' notes aren't required, and yesterday no customers were turned away so long as they could produce ID proving they were over 19 years old.
Those interviewed leaving Da Kine gave the product high marks for quality. "This is better than what you get off the street," Sundeep Vickram, 32, said, inhaling deeply from a joint. Mr. Vickram, a University of British Columbia student, said he has schizophrenia and uses marijuana to relieve anxiety.
Last week, police had had enough. In a high-profile show of force, more than 40 officers, some dressed in balaclavas, stormed the shop, arresting Ms. Gwilt and seven others. They cordoned off the street, halting rush-hour traffic and a movie that was filming in the neighbourhood.
But Vancouver police say the pot shop is no harmless operation. Ms. Gwilt, they said, is a dealer running a large, profitable drug operation. Police seized more than $70,000 cash in last week's raid, $27,000 of which was in the till, plus 9.5 kilograms of marijuana and 450 grams of hashish. Police said the shop averaged $30,000 a day in sales.
Ms. Gwilt was charged with trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking, as were seven staff members. The owner also faces a charge of possessing proceeds of a crime.
But the morning after the police raid, the store was open for business.
Now police are urging city officials to yank Da Kine's business licence. A licensing hearing has been scheduled for next month.
"This is a highly profitable criminal activity," said Vancouver Police spokeswoman Sarah Bloor, adding that she hopes the city "does the right thing."
Da Kine customers said they think the shop is good for the neighbourhood.
Mr. Vickram, the UBC student, said fewer drug dealers are on the street since Da Kine opened. He praised Ms. Gwilt, saying she is forcing Ottawa to deal with legalization. "This is a good thing," he said. "This gets it off the streets and away from the gangs."
Bell Globemedia
By*JANE ARMSTRONG
September 14, 2004
© Copyright 2004 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040914/POTSHOP14/TPNational/Canada
The cafe is called Da Kine (a superlative in Hawaiian slang) and here marijuana is sold openly. The sidewalk sign says it's a smoke and beverage shop. But inside, customers ignore the juice and pop fridge and head straight for the counter. Two joints cost $10, and most customers leave with a smug smile on their faces.
Da Kine isn't the first café in this pot-friendly West Coast city to put marijuana on the menu, but it may be the most blatant. Da Kine has a few chairs and tables, but apart from non-alcoholic drinks, there's nothing to ingest except pot and hashish.
Owner Carol Gwilt recently raised the stakes -- and police tempers -- by openly admitting her marijuana sales. In some media interviews, it appeared she was daring police to charge her.
Ms. Gwilt said she's providing a service to the city.
"This is something Vancouver obviously needs," she said yesterday. "There's an incredible market for it."
A diehard marijuana activist, Ms. Gwilt has vowed to keep selling pot until Ottawa decriminalizes the possession and sale of the drug. Da Kine, she said, sells pot to people to relieve pain from a disease or condition. Her operation is a registered charity, she said, and customers are required to fill out an application seeking a federal exemption allowing them to use the drug for medical reasons.
But doctors' notes aren't required, and yesterday no customers were turned away so long as they could produce ID proving they were over 19 years old.
Those interviewed leaving Da Kine gave the product high marks for quality. "This is better than what you get off the street," Sundeep Vickram, 32, said, inhaling deeply from a joint. Mr. Vickram, a University of British Columbia student, said he has schizophrenia and uses marijuana to relieve anxiety.
Last week, police had had enough. In a high-profile show of force, more than 40 officers, some dressed in balaclavas, stormed the shop, arresting Ms. Gwilt and seven others. They cordoned off the street, halting rush-hour traffic and a movie that was filming in the neighbourhood.
But Vancouver police say the pot shop is no harmless operation. Ms. Gwilt, they said, is a dealer running a large, profitable drug operation. Police seized more than $70,000 cash in last week's raid, $27,000 of which was in the till, plus 9.5 kilograms of marijuana and 450 grams of hashish. Police said the shop averaged $30,000 a day in sales.
Ms. Gwilt was charged with trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking, as were seven staff members. The owner also faces a charge of possessing proceeds of a crime.
But the morning after the police raid, the store was open for business.
Now police are urging city officials to yank Da Kine's business licence. A licensing hearing has been scheduled for next month.
"This is a highly profitable criminal activity," said Vancouver Police spokeswoman Sarah Bloor, adding that she hopes the city "does the right thing."
Da Kine customers said they think the shop is good for the neighbourhood.
Mr. Vickram, the UBC student, said fewer drug dealers are on the street since Da Kine opened. He praised Ms. Gwilt, saying she is forcing Ottawa to deal with legalization. "This is a good thing," he said. "This gets it off the streets and away from the gangs."
Bell Globemedia
By*JANE ARMSTRONG
September 14, 2004
© Copyright 2004 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040914/POTSHOP14/TPNational/Canada
