Pubdate: Thu, 21 Sep 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: A6

NEWEST ILLEGAL POT SHOP ROBBED TWICE WITHIN A WEEK OF OPENING FOR BUSINESS

Ottawa's newest illegal pot shop, across from the Parkdale Farmers
Market, was robbed twice in its first week of operation.

The CannaGreen marijuana dispensary on Armstrong Street near Parkdale
Avenue was hit by robbers in the early morning hours of Sept. 4 and
then again on Sept. 7, said property manager Marc Leduc. The store
opened Sept. 1.

In the first robbery, thieves kicked down the door to enter the
adjoining business, Crazy Carl's Antiques. They used an axe to smash a
hole in the interior plaster wall between the two businesses and
hopped through to CannaGreen, said Leduc. "They got money and pot."
Leduc said he installed a steel entrance door at Crazy Carl's, but
thieves busted through that in the second robbery three days later,
when they again smashed through the inside plaster wall. CannaGreen
had obtained a safe after the first robbery, but thieves destroyed it,
said Leduc.

"They had a 50-pound sledgehammer and smashed the hell out of
it."

He has now installed a double plywood interior wall between Crazy
Carl's and CannaGreen. "They won't get in there now."

CannaGreen is one of a string of affiliated shops opened in Ottawa by
a B.C.-based outfit. The shops operate under various names, including
GreenTree and WeeMedical. A CannaGreen outlet on McEwen Avenue in the
west end closed late last month after being hit by robbers three times
over the summer.

Leduc said CannaGreen's two year lease on Armstrong Street was with
Wee Medical. He was told they were selling medical marijuana.

"It's fine with me, as long as they pay the rent and don't cause me
grief."

The lease for CannaGreen stipulates that no illegal activities are
allowed, Leduc said.

"It's their headache ... they signed a lease saying it was
legal."

The dispensaries operate illegally. There is a lot of confusion,
though, because medical marijuana is legal, although it must be
obtained by mail with a doctor's authorization. There are about 19
illegal pot shops in Ottawa.

"If it was 100 per cent illegal, they would be shutting these (pot
shops) down immediately," Leduc said. "But they're all over the city."

Ottawa police have conducted multiple raids on dispensaries and
charged workers with drug trafficking, but many shops simply reopen.
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