A back room at 420 Hemp Shop on Cowrie Street was repurposed and a dispensary dubbed Coastal Meds was opened on March 9, bringing the total number of medical marijuana dispensary storefronts in Sechelt to three.
Coastal Meds joins Weeds Glass and Gifts and WeeMedical, all selling various strains of marijuana and marijuana products to those who can prove their need with a doctor’s note.
Keith Duggan, manager at the 420 Hemp Shop, said the store decided to open a dispensary after months of prodding from their customer base.
“This happened because Weeds was there and the minute Weeds actually even showed up our existing clientele were saying, ‘Why are you guys not doing this? You guys have been here forever, you guys should be offering dispensary services.’ Weeds has been around for over a year now but it took us a long time to do the research, to see the direction the country was going, to watch everybody else all over Canada open up stores,” Duggan said.
“If the little guy wants to have any shot you might need to take a little bit of risk. You need to get in.”
Duggan said the idea was to reorganize the store and repurpose a back storage area for a small dispensary that would complement the store’s existing business.
“It seemed like a natural step,” he said.
Coastal Meds now sells cannabinoid gum, oil, wax, THC bath bombs, TCH pills, marijuana seeds and three different strains of marijuana.
Within one week of opening, the store had given out 40 membership applications and had six registered members.
420 Hemp Shop is the only store with a dispensary in Sechelt that also has a business licence for the non-medicinal-marijuana side of its operation, which was established in 2002.
Weeds Glass and Gifts is still waiting for its business licence and signage approval, according to Weeds manager Robin Kehler, and Keir MacPherson of WeeMedical said his store doesn’t need a business licence because it operates as a non-profit society.
The District of Sechelt doesn’t currently offer a medical marijuana dispensary business licence, as the act of selling medicinal marijuana falls under federal jurisdiction, enforced on the Coast by the RCMP. But Sechelt council plans to ask for a report on the issue from staff soon, according to acting mayor Alice Lutes.
The Sunshine Coast RCMP have not taken any action against the medicinal pot shops in Sechelt, but Const. Harrison Mohr said RCMP will “continue to monitor the local dispensaries and prioritize enforcement action as appropriate.”
Kehler thinks three medical marijuana dispensaries in Sechelt is too much and he fears RCMP may be forced to act if they feel too many dispensaries are selling in Sechelt.
He clarified this week that his store has been supplying medical marijuana to the public for 11 months now and said police have left him alone up to this point.
“Clearly this has gone way beyond supplying reasonable access and there is absolutely no need for three dispensaries in the small village at this time,” Kehler said.
“I maintain there is only enough business in this village to keep the doors open for six and a half hours a day with one person working.”
WeeMedical is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday and has three staff members, while Coastal Meds at 420 Hemp Shop has no dedicated staff members (staff from the hemp shop help when customers come in to the dispensary) and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Weeds is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Kehler is the only person on staff.
