Two cannabis dispensaries in Penticton may lose permission to operate if council today follows through on a staff recommendation to deny extensions of their temporary use permits.

Okanagan Cannabinoid Therapy on Westminster and Green Essence on Martin were the first and only pot shops in the city to be granted TUPs in December, but those expired June 30.

Now, with a letter from police clarifying their stance on the issue and two recent court cases in Abbotsford that shut down dispensaries there, plus a zoning bylaw that prohibits such businesses, city staff is recommending council pull the plug on the experiment.

[continues 381 words]

With federal legalization of marijuana looming somewhere on the horizon, Penticton city council decided Tuesday to deal with local sales of the drug later.

Staff had recommended the council not renew temporary use permits that expired June 30 for two dispensaries, Okanagan Cannabinoid Therapy on Westminster Avenue and Green Essence on Martin Street, but elected officials decided to punt instead.

The meeting was a back-and-forth between councillors, city staff and marijuana proponents who were in attendance, and evolved into a philosophical debate around access to cannabis.

[continues 350 words]