Pubdate: Fri, 23 Sep 2016 Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON) Copyright: 2016 Canoe Limited Partnership Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/letter-to-editor Website: http://www.ottawasun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329 Author: Jacquie Miller Page: 11 NOT HIGH ON POT SHOP New location upsets local parents Parents in Orleans are furious that an illegal pot shop has opened where their children attend martial arts classes and after-school tutoring. A marijuana dispensary called CannaGreen opened on Sept. 11 in a building on St. Joseph Boulevard that also houses The Edge Taekwon-Do Academy and Kumon Math and Reading Centre. All the businesses share a parking lot in the back. "This is killing me, it's stressing me out," said parent Nawal Zayat who, like a dozen other parents asked, said the dispensary should move somewhere else. The parents can't understand why an illegal shop selling cannabis in the form of brownies, cookies, pop and teddy-bear candy is allowed to operate alongside businesses that cater to children. "I don't want to tell my eight-year old boy there is drugs there. We don't want our kids exposed at this young age. They may want to try it." Fawzia Omar said she plans to pull her three young children out of Kumon. "We are terrified," she said. "I don't want my kids to be exposed to that kind of environment. "A business like this shouldn't be so close to kids." Taekwondo school owner Joel Denis said he was upset, too. "If these places are not going to be shut down, and they're allowed to operate, then there should be rules, and one of the rules should be they shouldn't operate in proximity to establishments that have children." Denis said he was disappointed that the owner of the building rented to a pot shop. The owner did not return phone calls on Wednesday or Thursday. The ward's councillor, Jody Mitic, said on Thursday that he's received 30 complaints from residents about CannaGreen. He said he's spoken to the Ottawa police, who say they are investigating. "I'm not allowed to say any more." At least 15 marijuana dispensaries have opened in town. "Right now these places are more or less Nawal Zayat operating in the wild west," said Mitic. None of the dispensaries has a business licence. City bylaws don't include provisions for illegal pot shops. Mayor Jim Watson has repeatedly declined to comment on the issue. "The federal government regulates marijuana laws, and Ottawa Police has the jurisdiction to enforce them if a complaint arises," a statement from his office said. The federal government says these dispensaries are all illegal, and municipalities and police forces are struggling to figure out what to do. Most dispensaries say they serve medical marijuana patients, and screen customers to make sure they have a medical condition. Medical marijuana is legal in Canada, but only if purchased from producers licensed by Health Canada, who send the products by mail. The federal government has promised to introduce legislation to legalize recreational marijuana in the spring and "strictly regulate" sales to keep pot out of the hands of children. In the meantime, it's become a free-for-all. Federal politicians warn that products sold at the illegal dispensaries are unregulated, and may be unsafe. Only one parent interviewed was not alarmed about the CannaGreen shop. The man, who declined to give his name, said he would prefer that medical marijuana is sold in pharmacies, but explained to his 10-year-old son that marijuana will soon be legal for adults. "It's coming, whether we like it or not," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt