Toronto unlicensed dispensary CAFE chain stunned many when, after its last location was barricaded with concrete blocks last week, its employees showed up the next day to continue illegally selling REC on the sidewalk outside blocked stores. Mayor John Tory expressed outrage the dispensaries would not quit.
CTV News, The Star, CityNews, Global News
- Consumers lined up to place orders with employees holding tablets and directed customers to pick cannabis up elsewhere.
- Police dispersed crowds and arrested 18 over the weekend, including one 16-year-old arrested for buying cannabis then reselling it to those waiting in line.
CBC Toronto - Toronto police reported that employees fled when police arrived, “leaving behind for police multiple iPads with customer names, financial information and orders, illegal product labelled for their customers along with debit machines and walkie talkie radios.”
Twitter
Toronto police charged one customer with knowingly possessing one gram of illicit cannabis—I wrote about it for Leafly.
- Those buying illicit cannabis have good reason for it, reported the Toronto Star. Not only is it cheaper and regularly of higher quality, but customers are loyal to familiar outlets where they’ve shopped for years.
The Star - The tenant evicted during the first of the CAFE raids (at the Harbord Street location two weeks ago) has filed an application to sue the Ontario government, saying it’s unconstitutional to evict tenants not involved in crime and seize their possessions without due process.
Vancouver Sun
Raids also occurred in Vancouver—where police busted two major extraction labs that were producing multi-million dollar yields of “shake, shatter, oils, balms, and edibles.”
Vancouver Sun, The Straight, Twitter
- Federal officials are considering using stings to shut down illicit online sellers, known generally as Mail Order Marijuana (MOMs).
Business in Vancouver - Federal prosecutors, meanwhile, decided not to charge five employees arrested during a raid on an MMJ Canada location in BC in March of 2018.
Nelson Star
Quick Hits
- Ahead of the lottery for Ontario’s next 42 REC retail licenses on August 20, the major REC retail firms are trying to get as prepared as they can to partner with winners.
Globe and Mail - BMO charges business owners wishing to enter Ontario’s REC lottery $3,000 to review their financial documents plus $1,000 for “monitoring and maintenance,” making entry into the sector even harder for small businesses.
MJ Biz Daily, Reuters
