The Vancouver Dispensary Society (880 East Hastings) is asking for help from the community after the announcing that the City of Vancouver has filed a petition in Supreme Court to have their shop closed.
“What we need is members to tell the court why The Dispensary is essential to their health and outline why the Licensed Producer program doesn’t work and why a Designated Grower is not available or issues you may have previously encountered that makes you not want to use that program,” the dispensary wrote on Facebook in a message attributed to Dori Dempster and Dana Larsen. “If mandated mail order does not work for your situation and restricts your access then we need to hear from you.”
The shop is asking its membership to send emails by today which will be forwarded on to their lawyer.
The dispensary will also go in front of the Board of Variance Nov. 4 to appeal the city’s initial rejection of their business license application.
Dispensaries across the country are looking for reprieve from authorities that continue to raid and shut down cannabis businesses, even as the federal government moves to legalize in 2017.
Don Briere, owner of a Surrey dispensary raided last week, will be filing a challenge under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, similar to action he’s taken against Vancouver and Abbotsford for dispensaries in those cities.
Last week the Peterbourough location of Cannabis Culture was also raided for the second time in a week, with several staff members arrested.