Vancouver becomes first Canadian city to regulate growing marijuana market

City council approved regulations to set zoning controls and licence fees for Vancouver’s pot shops, a boom that’s come amid a haze of legal ambiguity
The Guardian (UK)
Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Vancouver has approved new rules to license and regulate illegal marijuana stores, making it the first city in Canada to attempt to control the burgeoning market – and setting it on a collision course with the country’s federal government. After four days of public hearings, the city council approved regulations that will set zoning controls and hefty licence fees for Vancouver’s many pot shops: the city of 600,000 is thought to have more marijuana stores than its 109 Starbucks locations. (See also: More than 70 per cent of Vancouver pot shops violate proposed rules)