- 注册
- 2002-10-07
- 消息
- 402,604
- 荣誉分数
- 76
- 声望点数
- 228
Ottawa’s first cannabis lounge Buzz On had a soft launch this week with a couple of tough customers.
The lounge officially opens on May 1, but Ottawa police paid a visit to the lounge at 29 Montreal Rd. on Monday afternoon to question the owner about his business model.
Wayne Robillard, 51, has been accepting customers for the past week while he was setting up tables, games and televisions. He said he doesn’t need a business licence from the city because he’s not selling anything — just $7-a-day “memberships” that allow people to come inside to socialize and consume cannabis, either with a vapour machine or by smoking it. Visitors can also rent a variety of cannabis paraphernalia for a small fee.
Robillard says he’s filling a void in the market and following in the footsteps of Toronto, which has had at least five vapour rooms open for the past few years.
He acknowledges smoking and possessing marijuana is illegal, but it’s not illegal to allow customers to come in and use it — at their own risk. He said he has so far been welcoming an average of 25 customers a day.
Robillar said he had expected interest from the city and police, who showed up just before 1 p.m. on Monday to ask him what exactly he is doing in the leased spaces.
“I said, ‘In what way are we doing anything illegal? All we are doing is allowing people to come in and consume cannabis,'” said Robillard.
“Really, each person who comes in is committing the illegal act if you think about it. And they agreed, but they were just here to gather information and they will pass it on to the drug unit and to city hall.”
The city directed all comments to the police, who confirmed they are investigating but would not comment further on the legality of Buzz On.
“We want to see what the city’s position will be in the end, because in the end it will be Mr. (Mayor Jim) Watson’s job to decided whether he is going to allocate police funds to eradicate us,” said Robillard, adding that police said that if Buzz On is shut down, it would happen within 60 days.
查看原文...
The lounge officially opens on May 1, but Ottawa police paid a visit to the lounge at 29 Montreal Rd. on Monday afternoon to question the owner about his business model.
Wayne Robillard, 51, has been accepting customers for the past week while he was setting up tables, games and televisions. He said he doesn’t need a business licence from the city because he’s not selling anything — just $7-a-day “memberships” that allow people to come inside to socialize and consume cannabis, either with a vapour machine or by smoking it. Visitors can also rent a variety of cannabis paraphernalia for a small fee.
Robillard says he’s filling a void in the market and following in the footsteps of Toronto, which has had at least five vapour rooms open for the past few years.
He acknowledges smoking and possessing marijuana is illegal, but it’s not illegal to allow customers to come in and use it — at their own risk. He said he has so far been welcoming an average of 25 customers a day.
Robillar said he had expected interest from the city and police, who showed up just before 1 p.m. on Monday to ask him what exactly he is doing in the leased spaces.
“I said, ‘In what way are we doing anything illegal? All we are doing is allowing people to come in and consume cannabis,'” said Robillard.
“Really, each person who comes in is committing the illegal act if you think about it. And they agreed, but they were just here to gather information and they will pass it on to the drug unit and to city hall.”
The city directed all comments to the police, who confirmed they are investigating but would not comment further on the legality of Buzz On.
“We want to see what the city’s position will be in the end, because in the end it will be Mr. (Mayor Jim) Watson’s job to decided whether he is going to allocate police funds to eradicate us,” said Robillard, adding that police said that if Buzz On is shut down, it would happen within 60 days.
查看原文...
