Pubdate: Wed, 29 Jul 2015
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Times Colonist
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/letters.html
Website: http://www.timescolonist.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Author: Katie DeRosa
Page: A1

SECURITY TIGHTENED AFTER ROBBERY AT MARIJUANA STORE

Incident may be first of its kind in Victoria

Victoria police are looking for a man who robbed a medical marijuana
dispensary armed with a knife and what looked to be a handgun.

Police believe it is the first robbery of one of the pot dispensaries
that have been sprouting up around Victoria, but remain an unregulated
industry. The dispensary's owner said he has bumped up security
measures after last week's robbery to prevent it from happening again.

On Thursday, a man wearing a black hoodie, black pants and a mask
waited until customers left before he entered Farmacy at 3055 Scott
St. about 9 p.m., just as it was about to close.

He pointed a replica handgun and a knife at the clerk, who was alone
in the store. The man handed over a bag and ordered the clerk to fill
it with marijuana and cash, Victoria police spokesman Const. Mike
Russell said.

The robber grabbed the bag and ran back to his idling vehicle, which
appeared to be a 2006 to 2009 tan-coloured Pontiac Torrent. It did not
have licence plates. The vehicle sped away and was last seen near
North Dairy and Shelbourne streets.

The man was caught on video surveillance outside the store, which
police released in the hope that someone can identify him. He is
believed to be white, about five-feet-eight inches tall with a tattoo
around his right eye.

Farmacy's owner, who did not want to give his name, said the robber
did not get away with much cash or marijuana since most of it is kept
in a locked vault.

The store will be locked at all times and members will be given a key
fob to get in. New customers will be asked to ring a bell before they
are allowed in.

Staff members will have a button they can press that will set off an
alarm to notify police. A security guard has been hired. "We're going
to go above and beyond to make sure this doesn't happen again. We take
our patients' and staff security very, very seriously," the owner
said. "We've got more security than a bank does now."

On its website, Farmacy bills itself as Canada's largest medicinal
marijuana dispensary, selling flowers, edibles, tinctures and e-juices
from its shop seven days a week, 12 hours a day. The store has frosted
glass windows. On its door is a sign that limits entry to people age
19 and older.

There are 20 marijuana-related businesses in Victoria, 11 of which are
dispensaries and compassion clubs. The City of Victoria is considering
following Vancouver's lead in regulating medical marijuana
dispensaries.

The store owner said if marijuana dispensaries were regulated, there
could be minimum uniform security standards in place to guard against
robberies.

"Maybe some of these [security] tools can be put in place if the
industry is regulated so that everyone can be held to these same
safety precautions," he said.

Victoria police are waiting for direction from city council on the
dispensaries. "We're definitely working with the City of Victoria to
see how they're going to deal with it, if they're going to license
it," Russell said.

The department said it's important for dispensaries to call police in
the event of a robbery and not be fearful of enforcement action.

"We definitely want to catch this person, that's priority No. 1,"
Russell said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Victoria police at
250-995-7654 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS
(8477).
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MAP posted-by: Matt