Pubdate: Wed, 11 Jan 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

POT SHOPS CLOSE, BUT OTHERS SOON FILL THE VOID

Two recent raids continue 'cat-and-mouse game'

I'm not worried about myself being charged. I'm worried about the
70-year-old woman who comes in here looking for relief from her cancer
pain.

When Arash Zadeh heard a marijuana dispensary on Hunt Club Road had
temporarily closed after an armed robbery, he saw an opportunity.

He asked his real estate agent to find out whether the landlord was
interested in renting the space to him and his business partner Hadi
Shureih. "I called (the agent) and said, 'I'm sure the community is not
very impressed with this (shop), so can we get in?' "

The answer was yes, and soon the green walls of the Capital City Cannabis
Clinic will be painted and the space transformed into a shop selling
cellphone plans and equipment. The Koodo store should be open in March,
when renovations are complete, say the partners.

Capital City is one of several dispensaries that have closed on their own
rather than because of police raids. The Capital Essence shop in Blackburn
Hamlet, which was opposed by some neighbours, has also closed after
landlord Peang Taing asked its operators to leave, freeing them from a
three-year lease. He said he had no idea his tenant would be selling
marijuana.

But in what Ottawa Coun. Mathieu Fleury calls the "cat-and-mouse game"
between Ottawa police and the growing number of illegal pot shops, the
balance changes almost daily.

Ottawa police conducted major raids in early November on seven shops, and
raided two more in the last two weeks. Staff have been charged with
various counts of drug trafficking and possessing the proceeds of crime.

Police have warned that the dispensaries are illegal, and investigations
continue. But half a dozen of the raided shops have simply reopened.

"I'm not worried about myself being charged," said the staffer behind the
counter Tuesday at 613 Medicinals on Montreal Road, which is back in
business after being raided on Dec. 30. "I'm worried about the 70-year-old
woman who comes in here looking for relief from her cancer pain," he said,
indicating the glass case full of cannabis-laced gummy bears and jelly
bombs.

All the dispensaries say they sell to medical-marijuana patients. Policies
about who can purchase cannabis products vary. Some dispensaries limit
sales to people who say they have a medical need, or have a doctor's
prescription, while others basically sell to anyone over 19.

Most obtain their supplies from black-market growers and bakers in B.C.
Medical marijuana can only be legally purchased from growers licensed by
Health Canada, who send products by mail.

The Weeds dispensary on Montreal Road, which closed in September after
Canada Post seized a shipment of cannabis products sent to the store from
B.C., reopened on Monday.

Kristina Simpson, who oversees both the Weeds shops in Ottawa, said it
took a while to restock the store, settle a dispute with the former
manager, renovate and find staff. "With the raids, we don't have 100
people every day, dropping off resumes."
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