WATCH (above): Washington State will soon hand out licences for legal marijuana shops. Jas Johal has the details.
Kash has gone to the kush.
Former B.C. solicitor general and police chief Kash Heed has gone from busting grow-ops to consulting on the legal medical marijuana industry.
Heed announced Friday his plans to advise B.C. and Ontario companies on how to keep their legal grow-ops secure from organized crime.
Although it’s a shift from his previous work shutting down grow-ops and heading up Vancouver’s drug squad, Heed says his past experience will help him in his new gig.
Heed said he has been advocating for changes to the way marijuana is policed for 13 years.
“Marijuana prohibition has not been working… no matter how much we put towards enforcing marijuana, we’re not making any difference. The supply remains the same, the demand remains the same,” he said.
“It’s all about removing it from the illicit market, moving it towards a responsible corporate business here in Canada and that’s my goal is to ensure that that does take place,” he said.
Heed said he supports legalizing marijuana and believes that changing the laws will lead to a decrease in violent crime and keep it away from children.
“A lot of people are looking at this as a favourable response, especially when you look at what is happening outside of our borders… in Washington state, in Colorado.
After Washington State legalized marijuana for recreational use in 2012, more than a dozen businesses have reportedly applied to open pot stores in the state.
British Columbians may be able to purchase the drug as near as Blaine, Washington, which is just a 45 minute drive from Vancouver.
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