cannabisnews.com: Magazine Picks Vancouver as Pot Lover's Paradise Magazine Picks Vancouver as Pot Lover's Paradise Posted by CN Staff on June 29, 2002 at 08:21:55 PT By Robert Matas Source: Globe and Mail Ron MacNeil is behind the counter, serving noonhour customers at a place called The Blunt Bros., on the edge of downtown Vancouver. Scented cigarette papers, pipes, vaporizers and other marijuana-related paraphernalia are in glass showcases at the front, just across the aisle from displays of the shop's own line of clothing.The store includes a café. The premises are well lit, comfortably furnished and tastefully decorated. No one is smoking at the tables, but at the back, several men and women are rolling joints and lighting up in a well-ventilated, enclosed smoking room. The atmosphere is relaxed, friendly. "Nobody cares. The police leave us alone," said Mr. MacNeil, manager of The Blunt Bros.Vancouver's well-known tolerance for marijuana was a significant factor in a U.S. magazine's recent selection of the city as the best place on the planet for marijuana smokers. The summer edition of New York-based High Times magazine, a counterculture publication with a circulation of more than 200,000, picked Vancouver over Amsterdam, although smoking marijuana is legal in Amsterdam but is against the law in Vancouver."It is a very tolerant atmosphere," Dan Skye, the magazine's executive editor, said yesterday from New York. "You could walk down the street smoking marijuana and no one bothers you."His assessment is also based on the quality of marijuana grown in British Columbia, its availability and its price, which is half what it costs in Amsterdam."Some of the world's most outstanding weed is grown there," he said, adding that he has heard estimates that one in three homes in the region have at least one marijuana plant growing on a shelf. Vancouver also surpassed other locations in a category that has little to do with the weed, namely, its diverse range of diversions, from the beach and water sports to the ski hills. "It's a stoner's paradise."High Times also features two bed-and-breakfasts in Vancouver -- Casa Verde and Sativa Sisters -- that cater to marijuana smokers.The B&Bs for bud lovers offer an alternative to stuffing towels under the crack of the motel-room door or smoking while hanging out the bathroom window, Mr. Skye wrote.Paul Vallee, an executive vice-president at Tourism Vancouver, was pleased to hear about the city's top billing."It adds a bit of character to the place," he said yesterday. "I don't see it as a negative . . . if it is about what a hip place Vancouver is to go to."Marijuana is not sold in the cafés, and signs state that selling or buying illicit drugs is strictly prohibited.The storekeepers said they impose an age restriction of 19 years for entry the smoking room and require photo identification.Related Article:O CannabisSaturday, June 29, 2002 – Print Edition, Page A16We congratulate Vancouver on being named the world's best marijuana city by venerable High Times magazine. Though naturally we've never inhaled, we understand -- from a friend, of course -- that the city on the left coast is a deserving winner.There are reportedly more than 20,000 marijuana-growing operations in Vancouver and the surrounding Lower Mainland, providing ample supplies of high-quality, reasonably priced weed to complement some superb scenery in which to smoke. The crop generates annual revenues estimated as high as $30-billion, rivalling the $36-billion in cash receipts generated last year by all of Canada's "legitimate" crops combined. (And you thought that all those smiling, relaxed Vancouverites were simply enjoying the natural high from their beautiful surroundings.)Given such a concentration of pot in one city, we eagerly await other, related honours for Vancouver. Like the 7-Eleven award for highest per capita purchases of hoagies and nacho chips after midnight. Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)Author: Robert MatasSaturday, Saturday, June 29, 2002 – Print Edition, Page A2 Copyright: 2002 The Globe and Mail CompanyContact: letters globeandmail.caWebsite: http://www.globeandmail.ca/Related Articles & Web Sites:High Times Magazinehttp://www.hightimes.com/Blunt Brothershttp://www.bluntbros.com/Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmLivin' in Grass Houseshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13168.shtmlMarijuana Grow-Ops in B.C. Jumped by 222 Percent http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13118.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #6 posted by FoM on June 30, 2002 at 09:43:58 PT Friendly Reminder - Repeated 9 PM ET Tonight We just watched the Bob Marley Special on VH1 and I hope others have seen it or will see it when it's repeated at 9. What a visionary Bob Marley was. Bob Marley Special: VH1 - June 30th BOB MARLEY: BEHIND THE MUSIC.VH-1's acclaimed music documentary series takes a look at Bob Marley in a special 90 minute episode. Premiering Sun., June 30, visit VH1.com for show times and video clip outtakes. http://www.vh1.com/shows/series/behind_the_music/bob_marley.jhtmlHe was a rasta warrior who fought oppression with his six-string guitar. Bob Marley took the pulsating power of Jamaica's reggae music and tied it to universal themes of rebellion, justice, and unity. Then he went on a divine mission to spread his songs of freedom to the corners of the earth, forever changing the sound and spirit of popular music. But Bob's path to immortality was mined with incredible hardships. This special 90 minute Behind the Music recounts his turbulent, righteous life in deeply personal detail. From an impoverished childhood in the Trenchtown slums to exploitation in the corrupt Jamaican music industry, from the ego battles that tore the Wailers apart to a nearly fatal ambush by political assassins, from his defiantly scandalous affair with Miss World to the glory of superstardom. And finally, to that terrible day he collapsed in Central Park, and learned he was dying of cancer.http://www.bobmarley.com/ http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread13256.shtml#1 [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by CongressmanSuet on June 29, 2002 at 18:55:45 PT E.Johnson, you forgot one of the best lines... "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds" [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Industrial Strength on June 29, 2002 at 15:20:33 PT well... shelf meaning flat surface for pot to rest on, perhaps?Is pot really cheaper in Vancouver than Amsterdam???I think it's hilarious that the tourism director thought that this was a good thing (well, know's would be more appropriate). I think alot of people really would be suprised at the tolerance shown in alot of other Canadian city's. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by E_Johnson on June 29, 2002 at 14:44:21 PT Needed more than ever Won't you help to singthese songs of freedomthey're all I ever hadRedemption songsSongs of freedom [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by E_Johnson on June 29, 2002 at 14:42:05 PT Who grows on a shelf?? "Some of the world's most outstanding weed is grown there," he said, adding that he has heard estimates that one in three homes in the region have at least one marijuana plant growing on a shelf. Say whaaah?Does this mean that the other two out of three homes in the region are owned by real marijuana growers who don't get this shelf business at all? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on June 29, 2002 at 11:27:07 PT Bob Marley Special: VH1 - June 30th BOB MARLEY: BEHIND THE MUSIC. VH-1's acclaimed music documentary series takes a look at Bob Marley in a special 90 minute episode. Premiering Sun., June 30, visit VH1.com for show times and video clip outtakes. http://www.vh1.com/shows/series/behind_the_music/bob_marley.jhtmlHe was a rasta warrior who fought oppression with his six-string guitar. Bob Marley took the pulsating power of Jamaica's reggae music and tied it to universal themes of rebellion, justice, and unity. Then he went on a divine mission to spread his songs of freedom to the corners of the earth, forever changing the sound and spirit of popular music. But Bob's path to immortality was mined with incredible hardships. This special 90 minute Behind the Music recounts his turbulent, righteous life in deeply personal detail. From an impoverished childhood in the Trenchtown slums to exploitation in the corrupt Jamaican music industry, from the ego battles that tore the Wailers apart to a nearly fatal ambush by political assassins, from his defiantly scandalous affair with Miss World to the glory of superstardom. And finally, to that terrible day he collapsed in Central Park, and learned he was dying of cancer.http://www.bobmarley.com/ [ Post Comment ] Post Comment