Kevin is in retail. He sells tiny bags of marijuana on the corner of East Hastings and Hamilton, a few blocks from Vancouver's notorious Downtown Eastside. One gram, ten bucks a pop.
Traffic is steady, but street peddlers like Kevin must move lots of tiny plastic bags to get by. Pushing dope at this level is a risky, low-margin business. For every gram of marijuana Kevin sells, he keeps just $2; his "boss," he says, collects the rest.
He doesn't lack competition. On any given day, there might be two or three other dealers selling locally grown pot on his corner. To close a sale, Kevin must sometimes offer customers a discount. This means giving up some of his commission.
He does not relish the prospect of competing with legitimate businesses, such as, say, local pharmacies.
[. . . .] The idea of dispensing marijuana in pharmacies is being considered by Health Canada, the federal department that regulates the sale of drugs in this country. Health Canada officials say they have no choice but to make marijuana more accessible. In October, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled current regulations governing the distribution of marijuana for medicinal use are so restrictive as to render them unconstitutional.
Approximately 700 Canadians with certain illnesses have permission to consume marijuana. The drug can help stimulate appetite and can help relieve some forms of chronic pain. It is thought to be particularly beneficial for people suffering from the effects of full-blown AIDS or multiple sclerosis.
[. . . .] Acquiring the product legally can be even more difficult, the Ontario court noted. About 70 registered users consume marijuana that is supplied by the federal government. The pot is grown by a private company in an old mine shaft in Flin Flon, Man. Although raised under strict government supervision and subject to rigorous testing, the Manitoba marijuana is considered vastly inferior to black market weed.
[. . . .] "I won't go into details," Pharmaco partner Glenda MacDonald said. "We are still early in the development stage. But there is clearly a need for better access to medical marijuana. And we know it is effective in the treatment of pain and appetite improvement and muscle spasticity and seizure control."
[. . . .] Kevin needn't much worry about pharmacists muscling in on their turf with deeply discounted bud. The market for non-medicinal marijuana in Canada continues to grow, police say. Street prices remain steady. Our appetite seems insatiable.
