Many Vancouver pot shop owners say they’ll stay open, despite deadline for most to shut down

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Amid puffs of smoke outside of Vancouver’s City Hall, many marijuana dispensary owners say they intend to stay open beyond today’s deadline for unlicensed shops to close.

The city will start issuing fines for any pot shops that stay open without a license. Those fines could start at $250, an amount most should be able to afford, says pot activist Robert Moore.

“They’re staying open. I don’t know anyone that’s shutting down. They’re getting legal teams. They’re fighting this tooth and nail. I hear people saying they won’t leave even if they’re being dragged. They know they’re being fined and they’re going to fight all those fines,” says Moore.

He says owners are still upset they’re being asked to close, which he calls a step backwards.

“If you shut down a lot of these dispensaries… drug dealers, as you know, don’t ID. So that’s not going to work.”

City Councillor Melissa De Genova says she’s not surprised many owners plan to pay the fines and stay open.

“No, especially considering the Vancouver Police Department has said that they simply don’t have the resources,” says the former Park Board member.

She says the city’s whole licensing process creates an uneven playing field. “A few marijuana dispensaries will be entitled to stay open whereas many other dispensaries have been told that they have to shut down.”

Vancouver City Councillor Kerry Jang has very little sympathy for unlicensed dispensaries that are being ordered to close.

“They knew this was coming. They had six months to find an alternate location. Some of them did. A number of them didn’t even bother trying. So, I don’t know what they’re complaining about, but it’s a free country.”

The city says it will first send letters to violators, telling them to shut down before pursuing other legal action. Only a dozen or so of the existing marijuana dispensaries have a valid license as of today.