Pot shop owners consider legal action over Vancouver licensing
Posted April 25, 2016 11:32 pm.
Last Updated April 26, 2016 8:30 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Some of the biggest names from local marijuana dispensaries are coming together to brainstorm legal options as the city keeps a tight grip on sought after business licenses.
A deadline of April 29th looms for unlicensed stores to shut down or face possible fine or penalty.
Pot shops have to get through three rounds of approval that will ensure they will be over 300-metres from schools.
A couple dozen of the over 100 local dispensaries that have applied for a business licence have even made it to the 2nd round. The majority of the applications have been rejected by the Board of Variance.
Don Briere, owner of Weeds Glass and Gifts, says a plan of action is expected to be hammered out at Cannabis Culture Headquarters Tuesday afternoon.
“Some of the stores, we’ve got some of our lawyers doing a variance thing with them and as far as we can tell 90 per cent or more are going to fail. Boy this is going to open up a can of worms and this is just the beginning of the beginning I think.’
Briere says none of his eight dispensaries in Vancouver have been accepted through the business licensing approval process.
Support for dispensaries high as pot shop showdown looms
A new poll suggests there is widespread support for pot shops in the city.
Forum Research has found just under two-thirds of people surveyed this week approve of dispensaries being permitted to operate in Vancouver, but there is more of a split when it comes to the number of pot businesses that should be allowed.
“Overall, 47 per cent approve of council’s decision to license 12 dispensaries and the others would have to close, and 35 per cent are against that,” says president Lorne Bozinoff.
“There are a lot of dispensaries in Vancouver — 58 per cent say there is one in their neighbourhood — so people have a lot of access right now. Only 25 per cent said there was no dispensary in their neighbourhood,” he tells NEWS 1130.
As of Friday, unlicensed dispensaries in the city have to shut down or face fines.
Out of the 100 or so marijuana shops in Vancouver, only a handful have been given business licenses so far.
