Pubdate: Tue, 22 Nov 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: A3

TWO MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES REOPEN FOLLOWING POLICE RAIDS, AS OFFICIALS 
AWAIT FEDERAL LEGISLATION

Two of the pot shops raided by police two weeks ago are back in
business.

The Green Tree dispensaries on Preston Street and Montreal Road opened
on the weekend. Both were sparsely stocked Monday, with a few jars of
dried weed selling for $10 to $14 a gram. The popular edibles -
cannabis cookies, brownies, candy and pop - will be available later
this week, said a clerk at one of the stores.

There's no ATM available yet, a clerk at the Montreal Road dispensary
explained to one customer, pointing to the spot where police ripped it
out of the floor during the Nov. 4 raids.

The shops are among seven dispensaries closed after Ottawa police drug
officers executed search warrants and seized merchandise. Nine
employees were arrested.

At the time, police Chief Charles Bordeleau said the raids were a
warning that the shops are not wanted in the community. Ottawa police
say they continue to investigate the remaining dispensaries.

It's not surprising the shops have popped back up - that's what
happened in Toronto, Coun. Mathieu Fleury said. Police there have
raided about 50 dispensaries since last spring. Some reopened and new
ones sprang up.

"It's cat and mouse until the federal legislation is in place," Fleury
said. "A lot of them are just trying to make a buck in the short term."

The federal government has promised to introduce legislation in the
spring to legalize recreational pot. Medical cannabis is already legal
by mail order from a producer licensed by Health Canada.

The police raids may have helped clear up some confusion, Fleury says.
Some customers, employees and even city social service case workers
who referred clients to them didn't realize the dispensaries were
illegal, he said.

The clerk at Green Tree on Montreal Road said he was told by his boss
that the operation is "fully licensed."

"I'm not doing anything illegal. I'm just working in a store. I'm not
sure how the police will look at it," he said. "To be honest, it's
cash weekly. I can't really go wrong with that. I've got bills to pay,
kids to feed."

Clerks at both stores declined to give their names and said they could
not reveal the names of the manager or owners.

The landlord of the Green Tree dispensary on Preston Street, John
Sanders, said they are good tenants.

"I have no issue with them. It doesn't bother me what they do, as long
as they pay the rent."

Several customers at both Green Tree locations said it's safer buying
marijuana in a store than on the street. A woman emerging from the
Preston Street store said pot isn't as harmful as alcohol or harder
drugs, and police should not devote resources to shutting down the
shops.
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