Police bust 'illegal' marijuana dispensary in continuing crackdown

Hamilton police have charged the owner of a medical marijuana dispensary on Ottawa Street North and seized about $100,000 of inventory.

The vice and drug unit used a search warrant to enter MMJ Canada, a dispensary at 146 Ottawa Street North, around 1 p.m. on Tuesday. 

"The operator of this dispensary was committing the criminal acts of possession for the purpose of trafficking marijuana and THC because they were selling or giving away marihuana or marihuana derivatives from their location," police say.

• Hamilton police bust another medical marijuana dispensary
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The inventory seized included marijuana and marijuana-derivative products, including edible THC-based products.

The owner, a 28-year-old man from Quebec residing in Hamilton, was charged on multiple drug-related counts. He was released on a promise to appear in court at a future date to answer to the charges.

The federal government has committed to legalizing marijuana, but until that happens, police say, they will follow the law and charge people who sell marijuana.

As for the dispensaries, Clint Younge, CEO of MMJ Canada, said in the fall that he hired a lawyer to fight charges related to the raid on his Hess Village dispensary. Younge maintained that prosecuting him was a waste of resources.

"Why there's such an aggressive approach in Ontario, I do not understand," he told CBC Hamilton.

'Work with us,' say dispensary owners

Several dispensaries in the city have been raided in recent months. In a Facebook post Tuesday, Pacifico dispensary on James St. North said its landlord had received a bylaw violation notice from the city.

• City looks for new ways to crack down on Hamilton pot dispensaries
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"These notices came in the form of a 'Cease & Desist Order' which by definition means to stop and not continue or else face impending judicial enforcement," the post reads.

Licensing director Ken Leendertse told CBC News that all known dispensaries and the property owners received the notices that the dispensaries are operating in a space that isn't zoned to sell pot.

He said upon conviction, the maximum fine for a person is $25,000, while a corporation would face a $50,000 fine. If the business didn't comply, they would face subsequent fines of $10,000 a day for a person, or $25,000 a day for a corporation.

The Liberal government has said it is preparing to introduce legislation to "legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana" before this summer.