On a bright, sunny day in October, visitors to the Cannagarden pop-up stand in East Vancouver browsed tables laden with a variety of marijuana products, including pot-infused peanut butter, pot-soaked honey and even cooking butter with Nutella. The conspicuous outdoor stand has been set up on Vancouver Park Board land at the intersection of Hastings and Renfrew streets near the Pacific National Exhibition grounds. The tented shop is also close to the Fright Nights attraction, which is popular among teenagers, and has some residents in the area concerned.
The organizer of Cannagarden, David Hill, told CTV News Vancouver that any misgivings about the stand’s location are unwarranted. He insisted that his workers never give marijuana to minors and always check peoples’ IDs.
Cannagarden is more than the average retail pop-up shop. Hill said he’s using the stand to protest the criminalization of marijuana.
“We’re protesting,” Hill said. “Any citizen has the right to protest on government land.”
Hill plans to continue providing his pot products to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week until Halloween. He said he hopes Cannagarden will be able to alter some opinions about marijuana and its place in society.
“I want to change people’s perceptions. We’ve got 90 years of negative perceptions and lies,” Hill said.
All of Cannagarden’s pot products are offered free of charge, though the stand accepts donations. Hill said the proceeds from the donations will go towards growing the protest, buying new equipment, repairing a van and paying for fuel.
Although some neighbours believe the pop-up stand is promoting an unhealthy lifestyle, the police haven’t taken any action against it yet.
With a report from CTV Vancouver
