Pubdate: Thu, 16 Feb 2017 Source: Nanaimo News Bulletin (CN BC) Copyright: 2017, BC Newspaper Group Contact: http://www.nanaimobulletin.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/948 Author: Chris Bush RCMP SHUT DOWN POT DISPENSARY NEXT TO DAYCARE Police cite parents' concerns over health and safety Nanaimo Mounties have closed a marijuana dispensary that opened next door to a children's daycare centre. Leaf Labs Medical Cannabis Services, at 679 Terminal Ave., was shut down Monday, three days after it opened, when police checked the business and allegedly observed evidence they believe contravened Canada's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The dispensary was closed and secured until a search warrant was granted to search the premises.Police seized about 0.7 kilograms of marijuana. A 24-year-old man, allegedly operating the dispensary, was arrested for possession for the purpose of trafficking and released later that day on a promise to appear in Nanaimo provincial court July 10. The dispensary was brought to the RCMP's attention because of its location directly next door to the Kidz Kompany daycare centre. Const. Gary O'Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, said police had warned the dispensary owner and building landlord they had received complaints from the community, social media and parents of children attending the daycare. "We told them that it's not acceptable to have a dispensary next to a licensed daycare. We said, 'if you continue to operate you could be looking at enforcement action,' and that's exactly what we did," O'Brien said. There is no legal mechanism in Canada allowing medicinal marijuana dispensaries or compassion clubs to sell marijuana to the public, regardless of whether the purchasers and vendors are licensed to possess or produce marijuana. "It is shut down and if they choose to reopen they could be subject to the same enforcement action,"O'Brien said. There are 11 other marijuana dispensaries operating in Nanaimo, which O'Brien said could also face enforcement action, but have not, so far, because Nanaimo RCMP were focused on the fentanyl crisis and prioritized resources to disrupt the drug's distribution networks. Police now have the resources and time to dedicate to marijuana dispensaries, he said. Melissa Burke, the daycare centre owner, said the health and well-being of the children in her daycare is the primary concern for her and the children's families and she is concerned about the possibility of some dispensary customers smoking marijuana immediately outside the premises. "It's not the right place for that business to operate and that is what we're all worried about," Burke said. Nanaimo RCMP Supt. Cameron Miller said, in a press release, the investigation remains active and the RCMP sets enforcement priorities through ongoing consultation with local government,municipal partners, citizens and RCMP in B.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt