Pubdate: Sat, 11 Mar 2017
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.ottawacitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Jacquie Miller
Page: A2

CANNABIS CULTURE REOPENS JUST ONE DAY AFTER POLICE RAID

The Cannabis Culture marijuana dispensary on Bank Street that was
raided by police on Thursday reopened Friday morning.

The shop was back in business by 10:30 a.m., according to two people
working at nearby businesses on Bank Street near James Street.

The Cannabis Culture franchise first opened two weeks
ago.

Police arrested five men at the shop Thursday morning and charged each
of them with five counts of possessing a Schedule II substance for the
purpose of trafficking (marijuana, THC oil, THC shatter, hashish and
CBD oil) and one count of possessing the proceeds of crime under $5,000.

The Ottawa raid was conducted at the same time as a project
coordinated by Toronto police called Operation Gator that targeted
Cannabis Culture outlets in Toronto, Hamilton and Vancouver.

Police executed 11 search warrants on seven Cannabis Culture outlets
as well as private homes as part of that project.

A spokesperson for Cannabis Culture said Thursday night that the
raided shops would reopen as soon as possible.

In Ottawa, customers were heading back into the shop by 10:30
a.m.

The Vancouver Cannabis Culture HQ that was raided Thursday was back
open by the end of the day.

The couple that founded Cannabis Culture, activists Marc and Jodie
Emery, have been granted bail. Marc Emery faces 15 charges, including
conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, trafficking, possession
for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of proceeds of crime,
while Jodie Emery is charged with five similar counts. The Emerys have
vowed to open pot shops across the country that sell marijuana to
anyone over age 19. Most of the shops, including the one in Ottawa,
are franchise operations.

- - With files from The Canadian Press
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MAP posted-by: Matt