Advocacy group calls on Vancouver to 'embrace' cannabis tourism after 4-20 'debacle'
The head of a B.C. cannabis growers group says the City of Vancouver's choice to discourage instead of sanction a marijuana celebration over the weekend was a costly "missed opportunity."
The BC Craft Farmers Co-Op says the city should rethink its approach to 4-20 celebrations and sanction what could be an “international cannabis tourism event.”
Co-op president Tara Kirkpatrick says the city erected barriers around Sunset Beach and had police target vendors at the unsanctioned celebration over the weekend, instead of authorizing a “professionally run special event,” similar to the annual Pride Parade.
Previous celebrations in Vancouver on April 20 - considered the day to celebrate smoking cannabis - have drawn tens of thousands of people, caused traffic gridlock and expensive damage to city parks.
However, Kirkpatrick says such an event could generate millions in tourism revenues for the province, which could cash in on B.C.'s “rich cannabis culture” and reputation as a place with “legendary craft cannabis farmers.”
Vancouver's Park Board had temporary fences put up, and closed washrooms and parking lots on Saturday as a way to “mitigate” what it said was a “non-sanctioned cannabis protest event.”
The group says Vancouver could have followed in the footsteps of the City of Prince George, which held a permitted “cannabis summit” over the weekend attended by thousands, including the city's mayor.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 22, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Boeing is on the verge of launching astronauts aboard new capsule, the newest entry to space travel
It’s the first flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of NASA pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'