Pubdate: Fri, 23 Sep 2016
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.ottawacitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Jacquie Miller
Page: A1

POT SHOP NEXT TO KIDS' CLASSES ANGERS PARENTS

'If these places are not going to be shut down, there should be
rules'

Some parents in Orleans are furious that an illegal pot shop has
opened in the building where their children attend martial-arts
classes and after-school tutoring.

A marijuana dispensary called CannaGreen opened on Sept. 11 in the
front of a small commercial building on St. Joseph Boulevard. The back
of the building 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 was on a bench outside the building, waiting for her son Fidel at
his taekwondo class and her daughter Sarah at tutoring. Like a dozen
other parents interviewed, Zayat said the dispensary should be located
somewhere else.

The parents can't understand why an illegal shop selling dried weed as
well as cannabis-laced brownies, cookies, pop and candy shaped like
teddy bears is allowed to operate alongside two businesses that cater
to children.

Zayat said she and her son smelled the odour of pot wafting out the
front door of CannaGreen as they walked by building. "He said, 'Mommy,
what's that smell?' I told him, 'Oh, maybe it's a skunk.'

"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 the
Kumon tutoring centre. "We are terrified," she said. Some of the pot
shop customers in the parking lot look scary and drive too fast, she
said. "It's not safe, honestly. 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."

Upstairs in the taekwondo school, children in white martial arts
outfits practised splitting plastic boards with their feet in an airy
studio. 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," he said.

Denis said he was disappointed that the owner of the building rented
to a pot shop. The owner, who operated the taekwondo school before
Denis took over, did not return phone calls on Wednesday or Thursday.

The ward's councillor, Jody Mitic, said on Thursday that he's received
30 calls or emails from residents complaining about CannaGreen. Mitic
said it's a difficult issue for him, because he's aware of the
benefits of medical marijuana, and thinks the operators of Can-na
Green probably mean well.

"Just be patient and open your shop once it's legal, and put it in the
right place, too," he said.

Mitic 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, most in
central Ottawa. "Right now these places are more or less operating in
the Wild West," Mitic said.

None of the dispensaries has a business licence. City bylaws don't
include provisions for illegal pot shops.

Bob Monette, the councillor for neighbouring Orleans ward, said that
as far as he's concerned, Can-na Green is not welcome in the
neighbourhood. The city's chief bylaw officer told him residents
should take their complaints to the police, Monette said.

"If (dispensaries) are doing something illegally, definitely there
should be some enforcement, but I'll leave that to the police
department to make that call.

"As far as I'm concerned, if they don't meet the legal criteria right
now, they should be shut down."

Mayor Jim Watson has declined repeated requests over the last two
months to comment on the proliferation of marijuana dispensaries in
Ottawa.

"The federal government regulates marijuana laws, and Ottawa Police
has the jurisdiction to enforce them if a complaint arises," according
to a statement from his office.

CannaGreen is one of hundreds of marijuana dispensaries that have
popped up across the country. The federal government says the
dispensaries are all illegal.

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 in the
spring to legalize recreational marijuana. It's not known whether
selling marijuana in stores will be allowed. The government has
promised to "strictly regulate" sales to keep pot out of the hands of
children and away from organized crime.

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.

Enforcement of the drug laws is up to police. In some cities,
including Toronto, Quebec City, Barrie, Oshawa, Whitby and
Peterborough and parts of B.C., police have raided the dispensaries.
Employees and owners have been charged with drug trafficking and other
offences. In Vancouver, police have chosen not to raid the shops
unless there is evidence the operators are selling to minors or
connected to organized crime.

There is widespread confusion, with many people assuming the
dispensaries are legal.

Orleans mom Zayat, who says she has sympathy for people who use
medical marijuana, became upset when she learned the shop was
operating illegally.

"This is just crazy, what's happening. This is supposed to be a good
country.

"This is really scary. It's making me sick," she said, bursting into
tears.

The CannaGreen store contains little more than a display case and an
ATM machine. Most of the front window is shaded so passersby can't see
what is going on inside. Sales are on a cash basis only.

The Citizen observed recently as a dozen customers made purchases.
Several displayed a "membership card" from Green Tree, a related
Ottawa dispensary. A couple of middle-aged people discussed their
medical conditions with the clerk.

Three new customers, men who looked to be in their 20s, were asked for
ID to prove they were 19, then filled out a form containing their name
and address. The clerk gave them "temporary" membership cards, and
explained that a doctor would contact them sometime in the next five
months for a Skype interview to discuss their medical conditions,
after which they would be given a permanent card with their photograph
on it. In the meantime, they could shop.

The men discussed the percentage of THC (the chemical component that
makes you high) in the cookies, brownies and candy, which look
professionally packaged and carry the brand names Canna Co. and
Mary's. One man was delighted to receive a $5 discount on his $20
cannabis cookie because it was broken.

The cookie contained 260 mg of THC - according to the label, anyway.
The products are all obtained from the black market. The man was
impressed. "I've had one with 100 mg and it was strong!"

"We recommend cutting it into two or three pieces," the clerk
advised.

Most of the dried weed, with names like Death Bubba, Rockstar and Love
Potion, is $14 a gram. The clerk weighed it on a small scale and
stuffed it into baggies.

A spokesperson for CannaGreen could not be contacted. CannaGreen is
affiliated with other dispensaries that have opened in Ottawa since
the summer called Green Tree and Wee Medical. Email requests sent to
all three companies were not returned.

The man who answered the phone Wednesday at the number listed on the
CannaGreen website identified himself as Justin, said he was too busy
to talk, and promised to call back later. "I'm about to hop on a
plane." He did not call back, or answer a message left on Thursday.

Staff at several of the Green Tree and Wee Medical dispensaries have
said they are not allowed to give out information about who owns and
manages the shops, but they are based in B.C.

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 instead of presenting the
CannaGreen shop as a "draconian, bad" thing to his 10-year-old son, he
explained what marijuana is, and that it will soon be legal for adults.

"It's coming, whether we like it or not," he said.

The situation is probably similar to the end of Prohibition, when some
reacted with horror to the sale of liquor, he said. "If someone opened
an LCBO (in the building) would we have the same issue we are having
today? Do I see someone out here in the back (parking lot) smoking
marijuana? No."
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MAP posted-by: Matt