New outdoor space to smoke cannabis opens on Exhibition Place grounds

Space for cannabis users to smoke outdoors at Grand Bizarre for the rest of summer

CBC News · Posted: Jun 23, 2022

At Grand Bizarre, customers can swim, eat, drink, mingle and now, if they fancy, stroll around the corner and smoke cannabis in a restricted area.

Cannabis Carnival is being touted as one of the first of its kind in Ontario — a dedicated place to smoke cannabis that its president, Zlatko Starkovski, says is in line with the Smoke Free Ontario Act.

“I think cannabis smokers in general need a safe, responsible place to smoke when they go out,” Starkovski told CBC News.

“There are a lot of people smoking at home, in cars and potentially over-consuming so we’re taking a proactive approach for cannabis smokers now that it’s been legal since 2018.”

Zlatko Starkovski is the president of Grand Bizarre and the Cannabis Carnival. (CBC News)

Starkovski notes there are plenty of places to buy cannabis, but not many designated spots to consume it. He says Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Ontario Cannabis Store are educational partners.

“We’ve checked all the boxes to make sure that we’re avoiding second-hand smoke, as well,” he said.

WATCH| Cannabis smokers have a new outdoor space at Exhibition Place:

New outdoor space to smoke cannabis opens on Exhibition Place grounds

7 days ago

Duration2:19A new space where people can smoke cannabis is being touted as one of the first of its kind in the province. Cannabis Carnival is being held at Grand Bizarre, located on the Exhibition Place grounds. Business experts in the industry say more locations like this could be popping up in the future.

“There’s no alcohol being served in the cannabis area … and we don’t sell cannabis, you bring your own.” Starkovski said, adding that being at Exhibition Place and working with such a large area helped them meet the guidelines.

“We have the space to do something like this.”

More designated cannabis spaces could be coming

Brad Poulos, a lecturer at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University, says the space is a creative idea and he expects to see more like it.

“We’re definitely going to see more of these things pop up as people discover what you can and can’t do,
  with respect to the rules around consumption of cannabis, especially smoking,” he said.

Cannabis Carnival will be open for the rest of the summer, but could also become a permanent fixture on the Exhibition Place grounds. (Paul Borkwood/CBC)

Read the entire article here