Those medical dispensaries that haven’t been successful in Vancouver‘s licensing program have until this Friday to shut down, including those still waiting for their chance to appeal their initial rejection from the city.
City councillor Kerry Jang said the only shops that will be spared enforcement action are those in the development permit stage or those that have already been granted an appeal at the Board of Variance.
“People who are waiting for their board of variance hearing, they will have to shut in the meantime,” Jang said.
There are dozens of dispensaries waiting to appeal the city’s initial refusal of their application at the Board of Variance, with the next meeting scheduled for May 4.
The city will begin inspections of shops immediately on Apr. 29, said Jang.
“The pot dispensaries know that this is coming, this is not new, our staff have been preparing for it for several months now,” he said.
Jag said city staff will begin by serving dispensaries with notices and orders but fines could reach up to $10,000 a day for businesses that refuse to shut down, with court injunctions backed by police if necessary.
Jang said the city isn’t going to wait for the federal government to move forward with regulations.
“The federal government is going to be at least a year before they even table some draft legislation, it will take another year for it to get through parliament,” Jang said. “This is what we’re going to do for the next two years until the federal law is actually enacted, and then, at that point, we’ll revisit the city bylaws.”
Dispensaries that have received a development permit:
- 1316 Kingsway — MPN Health Society
- 2894 E Broadway — BC Pain Society
- 1193 Main St — The Herb Co.
- 2179 W 4th Ave — Buddha Barn
- 4545 W 10th Ave — Wealth Shop Society
- 6416 Main St — The Healing Center
- 3439 Kingsway — Eden Medicinal
Dispensaries that have received a conditional permit:
- 1357 East 41st Avenue — Stressed and Depressed Association
- 1404 East 57th Avenue — The Green Room Society
- 511 West 7th Avenue — Apple Health Society (Eden Medicinal)
- 3615 West 17 Ave — Apollo Medical Society
- 3150 Cambie Street — Westcoast Medicann Society
- 1501 Commercial Drive — EVO Medi Society
- 8061 Fraser Street — Medicinal Express
- 2768 Kingsway — Medicinal Express
- 1745 Nanaimo Street — The Herb Co.
- 1605 Renfrew Street — Urban Earth Med Society
- 208 E 16th Ave — Eggs Canna Inc.
- 4296 Main St — The Green Cross Society
- 205 SE Marine Dr — Medical Mary-Jane Canada Society
- 4520 Victoria Dr — Karuna Health Foundation
Dispensaries that have had their initial rejection overturned by the Board of Variance: