A marijuana dispensary in Chemainus reopened on Sunday, despite being shut down by North Cowichan-Duncan RCMP just two days before.
It was part of a sweeping raid that forced three dispensaries in North Cowichan to shut their doors.
On Friday, Leaf Compassion Regional Manager Justin Gurinskas says the Municipality of North Cowichan needs to modernize their views on dispensaries, and calls the raid a waste of resources.
Staff at the store were arrested on scene, and the owner Kyle Cheyne was arrested shortly after.
Gurinskas says their location in Port Alberni is operating with a business licence, and applications for rezoning and licences are being considered in Victoria. He says they want to work with the Municipality of North Cowichan to come up with a solution that would allow them to operate.
Green Aura Cannabis Dispensary in Chemainus and Green Tree Medical Dispensary in Duncan were the other two storefront operations that were shut down.
In a statement, North Cowichan Duncan RCMP Officer in Charge Inspector Ray Carfantan says “the RCMP is guided by the current legislation and the laws as they exist in Canada. While there may be pending changes in the legislation, until such time as this legislation has been passed and new laws enacted, the RCMP will enforce the laws of Canada as they exist today.”
The investigation is ongoing.
