BOB Kronics – HEMP BC
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Who the hell gave Vancouver BC the nickname Little Amsterdam?Yes, it’s true that some of the best pot in the world is grown here. You’ll notice if you come here, that many a canuck can be seen walking down the street openly smoking it. People have even opened up businesses where they encourage you to come in and light up. But that’s not to say that the stuff is legal; the city has been trying to shut down these so called “marijuana bars” without invoking a riot for quite some time now. Their latest attempt? A quiet scheme where they’re trying to refuse the renewal of business licenses. |
 | Now I don’t smoke pot, but I don’t think that the city, or anyone else for that matter, should be shutting places down for permitting people to smoke it there. In one downtown block, at Cambie and Hastings, there lay three of these businesses. If you walk a block east of them you’ll come across Pigeon Park: Vancouver’s most notoriously dirty street corner, a place where bums drink cooking wine and junkies stumble around with needles hanging out of their arms around the clock. It’s a great place to buy hard drugs, get assaulted, pay someone for sex, get so drunk that you can’t walk buy and sell stolen merchandise. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I think the city has bigger fish to fry. |
I ventured downtown to check these café’s out.
Here’s the low down:
 | (photo Cannibus Cafe’s counter) |
| Uh… I didn’t actually go into this place. I did happen to walk by and peek in the window though. If I had to compare it to something I’d say that it’s the Ivanhoe of the marijuana bars. Scary. | Crosstown Traffic |
| This place has been around for years, it was the first of it’s kind on the block and it’s by far the best of the three. The food’s great, for vegetarian’s and meateaters alike. The people are super friendly and the atmosphere is laid back and mellow, I think you can guess why. It’s attached to Hemp BC, a big shop that sells anything to do with marijuana except for… marijuana. If you’re looking to buy dope, don’t go here. If you want to smoke it, feel free. | The Cannabis Café |
| This place opened up a couple of months ago. My first impression was that they’re trying to capitalize on what The Cannabis Café started. It’s got a drop in community center feel to it, which could be good or bad I guess, depending on what you’re after. | Blunt Bros. |
So that’s what’s going on. I bet you’re disappointed to hear that they don’t actually sell you weed, huh? Well don’t sweat it, the ratio of pot dealers to pedestrians on this block is at least 2 to 1.
Enjoy,
Bob “they used to call me The Chronic” Kronbauer