Vancouver Filing Injunctions Against Cannabis Dispensaries

Vancouver announced it’s filing injunctions in the British Columbia Supreme Court against unlicensed medical marijuana dispensaries, initially targeting 17 of 55 unlicensed outlets in the Canadian port city.

According to broadcaster CBC, the city said the initial batch of injunctions single out dispensaries that have:

  • Located near other shops with valid permits
  • Been the subject of community complaint
  • Responded negatively to earlier efforts to shut them down

Chief licensing inspector Andreea Toma says the city also will be seeking injunctions against the remaining 38 dispensaries.

“We’re not going to stop, we’re going to continue … to gather information that we need and we’ll continue to file injunctions as well,” Toma said, according to CBC.

If the injunctions are granted, dispensary owners who refuse to close will face contempt of court charges, MetroNews.ca reported.

Vancouver lawmakers voted last June to regulate and license medical marijuana retailers. There were 176 dispensary license applications submitted, but only a small number have been successful.

So far, city officials have issued only one license, while 10 dispensaries have been issued development permits. Another 11 applications are under review, according to the CBC. Stores that have just their permits have been allowed to keep operating.

Another 31 stores complied with an order to close by April 29.