UXBRIDGE The Weeds My Biz marijuana dispensary didnt 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.
Its illegal to sell marijuana from a storefront, said Staff-Sergeant Cyril Gillis, patrol services leader for North Durhams 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 its 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 theres been so much noise in the media about the Liberal government planning to legalize marijuana, and theres been discussions about that for the past year, so maybe people are trying to get ahead of the game in that sense, but its still illegal. We dont even know what the potential legislation will be, it could be that it becomes legal but dispensaries are still not allowed. We dont 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.
Thats not the township we want by any stretch, where we have marijuana dispensaries operating in our downtown, he said.
Technically that business wasnt breaking any bylaws, and we arent looking at putting any new bylaws in place at this time. Were 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 youre going to sell it, the legislation says it cant be a storefront.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Short-Lived Uxbridge Marijuana Dispensary Shut Down
Author: Moya Dillon
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