Cannabis in British Columbia

Indoor cannabis cultivation

Cannabis in British Columbia (BC) relates to a number of legislative, legal, and cultural events surrounding the use and cultivation of cannabis in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Though the drug is illegal in Canada (with exceptions for medical use), its recreational use is often tolerated and is more commonplace in the province of BC as compared to most of the rest of the country.[1][2] The province's inexpensive hydroelectric power and abundance of water and sunshine—in addition to the many hills and forests (which aid stealth outdoor growing)—make it an ideal cannabis growing area.[3] The British Columbia cannabis industry is worth an estimated CAD6 billion annually,[4] and produces 40 percent of all Canadian cannabis,[5] making cannabis among the most valuable cash crops in the province. The province is also the home of the cannabis activist and businessman Marc Emery.

As with the rest of Canada, cannabis will be legalized on October 17, 2018, following the enactment of the Cannabis Act, or Bill C-45.

Usage

A 2004 study by the University of Victoria and Simon Fraser University found that 53 percent of BC residents had tried cannabis at least once.[1]

In the city of Vancouver, there are several cannabis coffee shops where cannabis is smoked openly (but not sold) and personal use throughout the city is tolerated by local police.[6]

Cultivation

The early history of cannabis production was centered in hippie communities in the Gulf Islands and Kootenays, in climate conditions perfect for outdoor growing. However, it is believed that much of the cannabis currently sold for export originates from hydroponic grow operations in the Lower Mainland, with significant amounts added by outdoor growers throughout the province.[7] According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the majority of these grow operations are run by gangs such as the Hells Angels,[8] and the Red Scorpions.

In 2008, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police inspector estimated the number of grow-ops in residential houses in the province to be 20,000.[9]

A large amount of the province's cannabis crop is smuggled across the national border to the United States,[10] up to 95 percent according to some US officials,[3] as "B.C. Bud"'s value more than doubles in the US. As of 2010 experts estimate that the province exports CA$4–8 billion in cannabis annually, among British Columbia's largest exports with softwood lumber. Some Americans believe that the provincial government is, as Canadian Geographic reported that year, "quietly tolerant" of the cannabis industry because of its importance to the economy.[11]

The lower mainland is home of the first purpose built industrial greenhouse called SunLab. Developed by Licensed Producer Tantalus Labs, the facility was designed to cultivate sustainably grown cannabis using captured rainwater and 90% less electricity than traditional indoor cultivation methods.[12][13]

Public views

Opinion polling in British Columbia has shown that the province has greater support for cannabis legalization than any other Canadian province. A 2012 Angus Reid Public Opinion poll found that 61 percent of British Columbians support the legalization of Cannabis, compared to 53 percent in the rest of Canada.[14]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Cannabis Use Highest in BC". University of Victoria. 4 October 2006. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  2. ↑ "Quebec smokes rest of Canada in pot use". Montreal Gazette. 15 July 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  3. 1 2 Mackie, John (20 January 2003). "B.C.—a pot-friendly, pot-profitable province". Vancouver Sun.
  4. ↑ Canadian Parliament, Senate; Colin Kenny; Pierre Claude Nolin (2003). Cannabis: Report of the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 35. ISBN 0-8020-8630-6.
  5. ↑ "Canada leads 'rich' world in using marijuana: UN". Vancouver Sun. 10 July 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  6. ↑ Hamilton, Anita (15 August 2004). "This Bud's For The U.S." Time. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  7. ↑ Canadian Parliament, et al. 2003, pp. 36-37.
  8. ↑ U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. (2000). BC Bud: Growth of the Canadian Marijuana Trade (DEA-01001). Washington, D.C. p. 3.
  9. ↑ Misha Glenny (22 July 2008). "Canada's spreading cannabis crop". BBC News. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  10. ↑ U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration 2000, p. 1.
  11. ↑ MacDonald, Jake (July–August 2010). "The Canada-U.S. Border". Canadian Geographic. Archived from the original on 2010-07-10.
  12. ↑ "Maple Ridge greenhouse heralds cutting edge of cannabis production at cusp of legalization". Vancouver Sun. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  13. ↑ "Future weed: How one B.C. company wants greenhouse cannabis cultivation to become the new standard". Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly. 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  14. ↑ "Majority of Canadians Would Legalize Marijuana, But Not Other Drugs" (PDF) (Press release). Angus Reid Public Opinion. 15 April 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2010.

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