A pot shop in Courtenay has been raided a second time after it re-opened in defiance of RCMP orders.
Two employees were arrested and marijuana, cannabis-infused food, cannabis concentrate and cash were seized by Comox Valley RCMP from the Leaf Compassion dispensary on Thursday.
The employees are facing charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. They were released on a promise to appear in court on strict conditions not to return to the dispensary, according to dispensary owner Kyle Cheyne.
After the raid, Cheyne said, Mounties stood outside the storefront for hours handing out flyers that listed Health Canada-approved licensed producers from which people can legally obtain cannabis for medical purposes.
Cheyne said the store has re-opened without cannabis product on the shelves. He said customers are being directed to their online store.
The arrests came eight days after the first raid, which resulted in the arrests of three employees who were released without charge.
Mounties are also investigating threats against Courtenay Mayor Larry Jangula, who received a voicemail message from someone who said he deserved to be shot. The threat came after incorrect information circulated online that the mayor directed Comox Valley RCMP to raid the dispensary.
Jangula said Mounties have identified and interviewed the person who made the call. It’s unclear if charges will be laid.
Since the threat, Jangula said he has been flooded by messages of support from people in the community.
“I think the majority of Canadians agree with the rule of law. What this group is doing is defying the rule of law,” he said. “They don't seem to want to try to play within any set of rules.”
Jangula said the province should come up with a comprehensive strategy for dispensing marijuana once it becomes legal next July, so that municipalities are not left to regulate the industry on their own.
Comox Valley RCMP spokesman Const. Rob Gardner reiterated the RCMP’s position toward marijuana storefronts.
“As the law stands today, selling marijuana in the manner that it was being sold, in a store front, is illegal,” Gardner said.
