Pubdate: Sat, 15 Oct 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: 3

POT SHOP SMASH A WARNING?

Landlord fears 'this isn't going to stop'

The landlord of a marijuana dispensary that was smashed in with a
truck Thursday night says he fears it wasn't so much an attempted
robbery as a warning.

"They just smashed things around, left a message" Strip mall
landlord

A truck drove into the front entrance of the CannaGreen dispensary in
a strip mall on Roydon Place, demolishing the storefront. The ATM in
the front room of the dispensary was smashed, but no money was removed
from it, say the landlords. The dried weed, cannabis cookies, candy
and pop stored in the back room were not taken, even though the door
leading to it was unlocked.

"They just smashed things around, left a message," says the landlord,
who fears pot dealers in the neighbourhood are upset about competition
from the dispensary. "I figure this isn't going to stop."

The landlord, Anuk Holdings, is a father and son team. They asked that
their names not be used.

They said they had no idea their new tenant would be selling
marijuana. The real estate agent who found the tenant identified it as
medical dispensary, and the lease was with "Wee Medical Dispensary
Society." In an interview, the real estate agent said she didn't
realize that "medical marijuana" dispensaries are not legal.

The father, who has been a landlord for decades, is fuming. "I thought
it would be little old ladies coming in for their canes."

The landlord's efforts to cancel the lease with CannaGreen and get rid
of the unwanted tenant have not been successful, and there may be a
legal battle brewing. The CannaGreen official who signed the lease,
Justin Liu, could not be reached. He did not return an e-mail Friday
and has not returned several phone messages in recent weeks.

The landlords have also asked Ottawa police to shut the shop. Ottawa
police say they are aware of the dispensaries and the drug squad is
investigating them.

About 16 pot shops have opened in town over the past year. They are
taking advantage of widespread confusion over the laws surrounding
marijuana, and a growing public acceptance of its use. The federal
government has promised to introduce legislation to legalize
recreational marijuana in the spring. Medical marijuana is already
legal, but only if obtained from Health Canada-approved growers, who
send it by mail.
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