The Cannabis Canada Association, a group representing government licensed medical cannabis producers, has published a message to its website, warning against the dangers of cannabis production by unlicensed individuals and businesses.
The statement comes in response to an explosion Saturday night at Tweeder Medicinal dispensary in Toronto that sent one man to hospital with serious burns.
The group tell the government that “there is no time to waste in putting in place a legal framework for the legalization of marijuana and urges provinces and municipalities to continue to proactively enforce Canada’s laws and shut down illegal marijuana operations, including dispensaries, in the interim.”
Cannabis Canada executive director Colette Rivet said that the explosion took place in a busy city neighbourhood and that government needs to act “swiftly and decisively to protect citizens.”
Over the past month, two fires have broken out at licensed cannabis production facilities.
A weekend blaze north of Nanaimo destroyed a grow operation owned by Royal Green Acres Manufacturing, listed as being in the final stages of review to become a licensed producer.
In July, an electrical fire at a licensed grow site near Courtenay was also responsible for the death of several pets.