Okanagan vape, cannabis store owners voice concerns about window coverings | 24CA News
A Penticton, B.C., vape store proprietor is looking on the federal government to rethink obligatory window coverings attributable to security issues.
Despite having cameras and a guard canine, Penticton Vape proprietor Holly Thompson says together with her home windows coated she nonetheless feels unsafe.
“I feel like it’s not if I get broken into, it’s when,” mentioned Thompson.
“Obviously they are hiding everything that is going on in my store. If I am being held up at gunpoint, or I have unruly customers in here, I am on my own.”
Just final week, a person armed with a gun tried to rob an East Vancouver hashish retailer. However, as a result of the home windows have been coated by an opaque movie, nobody from outdoors the shop may see what was taking place inside.
It is a federal requirement for hashish shops to dam the sight of merchandise to guard youngsters and the identical rule applies to vape outlets.
“I have concerns, I’m watching the cameras when I’m not here. It’s a big concern,” mentioned Thompson.
“Especially being female and alone and I knew the risks when I got into this business when I came to open this store but I can’t let that stop me.”
Meanwhile, PH Cannabis co-owner, Chris Nuessler, echoed the exact same issues.
Prior to coming into the hashish trade, Nuessler was an RCMP officer skilled in crime prevention by environmental design.
“The fact that we have to black our windows it’s not only a safety thing for the people inside, it’s a safety thing for police or any first responders coming to this location. Because you can’t see what’s happening inside. It goes totally against the way I was trained,” mentioned Nuessler.
“I have a young lady working with me, she stands four-foot nothing and to leave her alone in a spot that you can’t see in or out of is just not right.”
He went on to say that youngsters do should be protected however there could also be different methods to take action with out protecting all store home windows.
“I taught the [Drug Abuse Resistance Education] program in Saskatchewan, and children can be taught. We don’t let children run around with lighters, they’re trained at home that if you carry a lighter you might burn down the house,” mentioned Nuessler.
“While it goes to same with cannabis, you see that red stop sign with the cannabis leaf in it and it says THC on it. Let’s educate the children in regard to that.”
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