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First cannabis sold in the Battlefords as prohibition ends

Oct 17, 2018 | 12:39 PM

Over 30 people stood eagerly inline outside Fire & Flower Cannabis as passerby honked and hollered in support.

“Welcome cannabis,” Jim Davey said while wielding a massive set of scissors to snip the ribbon on the door of his cannabis retail outlet in North Battleford.

 

 

Fire & Flower and Jimmy’s Cannabis in Battleford were two of just a handful of retail outlets ready to serve customers in the province Wednesday as the veil was lifted on cannabis prohibition in Canada, making it the second nation in the world to fully legalize the substance. Uruguay was the first to legalize marijuana in 2013.

Davey, president and CEO of Curativa Cannabis, a division of Envirosafe Chemicals Canada, whose North Battleford CannabisCo received approval to operate a licenced retail outlet in the city, the day was a long time coming. His wife was the first person in North Battleford to purchase the first legal leaf on offer.

“It is a very historic time for us but a very serious time,” he said. 

 

 

Among some of the first customers through the door was Moe Brondon, who likened the day to Christmas and said he was glad to see it finally arrive. He is appreciative to finally be able to carry a little bit of marijuana with him and not get arrested for smoking it at home.

“There are all sorts of great things about it,” he added.

He said too many people for too long have been marginalized and was eager to see Canada lead the world in liberalizing the plant.

Nathan Holowaty pointed to the many people who worked hard to make legalization happen.

“There has been a lot of sacrifices so it has all come to this point and I am glad to be here for it,” he said.

Earlier in the day, standing huddled together with coffee in hand and toques on head, residents in Battleford were eagerly waiting for the doors to open.

 

 

“Excited and ready to be the first ones,” were the words from three Battleford residents patiently waiting outside Jimmy’s Cannabis Shop in the town at 7 a.m. 

“It is a whole new world,” Zack Jones said, never believing this day would come in his lifetime.

Streamlined pardon process on the way

Ottawa wants to make it free and fast for Canadians to obtain criminal pardons for simple pot possession, but Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale made it clear Wednesday the government does not support the push for conviction records to be destroyed outright.

Goodale said the legislation is coming this fall to waive the fee and waiting period for Canadians seeking a pardon for possessing up to 30 grams of marijuana — an offence punishable with a fine of up to $1,000 and six months in jail.

But the minister explained the government does not believe it would be appropriate to expunge records by wiping them off the books completely — even though recreational cannabis use is now legal.

The government recognizes that while a pardon doesn’t erase a record, having one can make it easier to get a job, travel and generally contribute to society. A pardon, or record suspension, means the criminal record in question is kept strictly separate from other records and that it may be disclosed only in certain circumstances.

Until now, simple possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana has been punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and six months in jail. Individuals have been eligible to apply for a pardon through the Parole Board of Canada five years after the conviction is handed down.

— With files from The Canadian Press

 

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr