Pubdate: Thu, 09 Mar 2017
Source: Uxbridge Times Journal, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 The Uxbridge Times Journal/Tribune
Contact:  http://www.durhamregion.com/uxbridge-on/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2210
Author: Moya Dillon

SHORT-LIVED UXBRIDGE MARIJUANA DISPENSARY SHUT DOWN

First dispensary in north Uxbridge quickly closes after police
warning

UXBRIDGE - The Weeds My Biz marijuana dispensary didn't see much
business during its short-lived opening in downtown Uxbridge.

The dispensary opened for business briefly Feb. 24 in a storefront on
the corner of Toronto and Main streets, but was quickly closed when an
employee received notice from the police that the business was
operating illegally.

"It's illegal to sell marijuana from a storefront," said
Staff-Sergeant Cyril Gillis, patrol services leader for North Durham's
15 division, noting police have dealt with similar operations
elsewhere in the region, such as Oshawa, but this was the first in
north Durham.

"Individuals may be thinking this is a grey area, but it's not a grey
area from our perspective," he said, noting it is illegal to sell
marijuana unless it is for medical purposes, and even then it is still
illegal to operate a dispensary.

"I think there's been so much noise in the media about the Liberal
government planning to legalize marijuana, and there's been
discussions about that for the past year, so maybe people are trying
to get ahead of the game in that sense, but it's still illegal. We
don't even know what the potential legislation will be, it could be
that it becomes legal but dispensaries are still not allowed. We don't
know."

Coun. Fred Bryan, who reassured residents the business had been shut
down at a Feb. 27 council meeting, said the township may look at
putting bylaws in place to discourage sales if legalization is
successful, but for now, are waiting to see what the legislation would
look like.

"That's not the township we want by any stretch, where we have
marijuana dispensaries operating in our downtown," he said.

"Technically that business wasn't breaking any bylaws, and we aren't
looking at putting any new bylaws in place at this time. We're waiting
to see what the Feds finally decide."

Staff-Sgt. Gillis said the police were able to react so quickly thanks
to a tip from the public, and reminds residents that any storefront
marijuana sales are illegal.

"We want to thank the public for bringing this to our attention," he
said, noting the list of licensed sellers, which is available on the
Health Canada website, is quite short, and does not allow for
in-person sales.

"If you're going to sell it, the legislation says it can't be a
storefront."
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MAP posted-by: Matt