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| Pop's Pot Ready To Go |
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Posted by FoM on August 09, 2001 at 07:27:50 PT By Jeremy Parkes Source: NOW Magazine 
So you want weed but aren't one of the 292 hopefuls slated to receive a government-blessed marijuana ID card, don't have a friend of a friend who deals the stuff and wouldn't dream of succumbing to the whispered goadings of the throngs of pushers hawking "hydro" at Yonge and Dundas?There's a hot spot where Toronto can fill up on marijuana for the asking -- day or night, seven days a week -- in less time than it takes to pick up a Big Mac and a milkshake at the drive-through. Just like a drive-through, in fact, it's the McDonald's of pot. Just step right up, place your order, and get the hell out. Next customer, please. So far, it isn't one of the pot operations busted this year by Toronto cops, who bravely try to enforce an outdated pot law that even right-wing columnists in the National Post find laughable. Detective Court Booth, who runs the police service's drug information unit, says about 100 hydroponic marijuana labs have been busted in the area so far this year, more than last year at this time. He cautions, however, that it's just an approximate number. "I believe the numbers are increasing, but I can't give you any scientific data to confirm that," Booth says. This reporter didn't spill the beans about Pops. Of course, there's nothing quite so obvious as the Golden Arches to guide you to his place. If you didn't know what you were looking for, you'd miss it entirely. Like most houses in most Canadian neighbourhoods, it's a modest, semi-detached two-storey sitting in a row of others just like it. A few doors down, an elderly man and woman pass the time on their porch as the heavy after-work traffic of a west-end avenue zooms past the perfectly pruned, blood-red rose bushes typical of this Portuguese community. It's doubtful if the tranquil-looking couple are aware that their neighbour runs one of the most efficient marijuana growing and distribution outfits in T.O. There's certainly nothing to spark suspicion. The operation is veiled in tense secrecy. No one, for example, must ever approach the front of the house. That's the first rule. If you want to buy reefer here, you'll need to enter from the backyard, as I recently did, which means a quick trip through a back alley where rows of garage doors line your way and the stench of ripe garbage and frying fish floods your nostrils. Second rule: when you go through the back gate, latch it tight behind you. Forget, and you can say goodbye to the weed. With the gate closed behind me, I inch toward the back porch, where the scent of a big patch of green tomatoes hits me immediately. It's like any other backyard, but I stop in my tracks, stunned, when I spot a little girl sitting on the porch, alone, fiercely concentrating on a colouring book. She's no more than six years old, wearing blue shorts and a white floral-patterned T-shirt, her black hair sweetly arranged in a heap of pigtails. Am I in the right place to buy ganja? She doesn't even look up, so I walk past her, stepping up toward a wide-open screen door that leads to a dishevelled kitchen. Empty beer cases are stacked everywhere. I knock lightly at the threshold. No answer. I knock again, louder. Heavy, unseen footsteps can finally be heard approaching. A man with short-cropped black hair emerges from around the corner, greeting me with a simple, "Hi, what can I get for you?" "I'm looking for Pops." Pops, it turns out, is an older, bearded man with dark but benevolent slivers for eyes. The instant he appears, Pops gives me -- a total stranger -- the once-over, the royal size-up. He shuffles slowly out of sight, but I know I've passed the test when the first man asks me, a little more impatiently, "So what do you need?" "Uh, 40 bucks' worth, please," I ask. My first time here, I pray these are the magic words. "Pops," the first man calls out. "Half a quarter." Bingo. Pops returns, and his eyes dart to my right hand, in which two crisp, folded $20 bills are cupped. Without a word, he pockets the cash and unceremoniously stuffs my order -- wrapped in a Baggie, secured by a twist tie -- into my sweaty palm. I could be trick-or-treating. Within 60 seconds of my arrival, I have what I've come for, a favour for a friend, and I'm off, careful not to step on the little girl (who's blissfully unaware of who the stranger now leaving might be and of the deal that just went down) or her colouring book as I stumble toward the back gate. While I'm no expert, Pops' marijuana doesn't look the greatest. It's full of tiny twigs and large seeds, and my friend later quips that he'd do better to make crafts with this pot than to smoke it. Indeed, the charm of this particular herb lies only in its sheer convenience. Pops also offers a significantly smaller portion of his wacky tobacky for 20 bucks, which he wraps in a tin-foil package the size of a french fry. Good for only about three joints, it's not a considerable deal, but again, damn convenient and easy to get. Determined to check out the clientele Pops caters to, I wait nearby for nearly an hour before a scruffy male teen sails toward the gate via the back alley. Not the least bit hesitant, he charges for the gate and disappears through it. When he comes out, he's content. Happy. Another satisfied customer. But then, McDonald's isn't the only joint that loves to see you smile. Note: On quiet west-end street, he runs dope drive-thru. Source: NOW Magazine (Canada) Related Articles & Web Site: Canadian Links Politicians Keep Blowing Smoke Acting High Above The Law CannabisNews Articles - Canada Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #3 posted by SWAMPIE on August 09, 2001 at 19:59:17 PT |
| Recently,I looked at a side-job to overhaul a transmission for a drag-car that a black guy owned.(no offense to anyone)I knew that he owns a body shop,and also sells pot.when our discussion turned to pot,I told him about the idea that the laws of prohibition need to be changed,he got very angry,said that it would ruin his income,and that of his employees,and that he couldn't afford to fix his trans.He left it with me,and even after repeated long-distance calls to come get it,I've never seen him again.What is wrong with regulation?Granted,I would grow if it was legal to do it,but many people are so tuned-in to selling it that they might be without an income.Ed Wickes,we all know that any legalization/taxation will keep prices to people that can't or won't grow it for themselves artificially high,(the lights/systems alone cost about the same as you mentioned to produce a decent crop,roughly$40-50.00US a quarter),and if you were to provide a customer with a nasty seed/shake-filled bag,most people would be ready to jump you!The whole point of this is to eventually make it at least somewhat legal to anjoy the herb that we all love so much!!!!!!The first part that needs to be acomplished is that GLOBALLY we all need to be on the same page,so to speak,and the English government is one of the first to try to make changes!God Save The Queen!!!!!!!!!!Regulate,Legalize,Tax,it won't matter much,because the cannabis plant cannot be stopped!!!!The only ones to suffer will be the ones to spend their ever-precious money on something that can/should be grown in the garden!!!!!!!!ONWARD THROUGH THE FOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SWAMPIE P.S.WELCOME ABOARD!!!!! [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #2 posted by ed wickes on August 09, 2001 at 13:20:20 PT:
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| Replying to your comments (JR Bob Dobbs-real name??!!), as someone who has smoked marijuana for about 10years I think that taxation is not a good idea. Pot is so easy to grow that everyone could do it. The problem with marijuana now is that it costs so much- in England 25pounds stirling for a quarter of hydroponic. A situation with taxation and corporations involved amounts to publicity/marketing of ganja(like cigarrettes) and the pressure for people to smoke it to be "cool" etc. responding to the images of the comapanies that sell the stuff. The herb grows like nettles(english weeds). One of the great debates is to lower the costs and taxation would not do this. I also find the idea of legalised cocaine with the government taxing a substance(and keeping the high prices) repelant-the main problem is the price. Cocaine addicts need a lot of money to get the drugs, so they do crime. Lets move the responsibility to the doctors and hospitals where there can administer these hard drugs. Lets not legalise the illegal profits of George Bush et al. (see http://www.almartinraw.com ) [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by J.R. Bob Dobbs on August 09, 2001 at 10:22:22 PT |
| If it were legal, this would be a reputable business, dealing in high-grade low-cost cannabis and giving the government a high percentage of tax dollars. And all cannabis purchases could be made this conveniently - heck, you could even come in the front door, although you wouldn't have to, because there'd be places to buy it all over town. And nobody cares if a six-year-old girl colors on the front steps of Starbucks, do they? [ Post Comment ] |
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