Pot stores sprout up in downtown Richmond Hill
York police plan to 'educate' owners on the law

yorkregion.com
Nov. 26, 2015
By Steve Somerville

Two new businesses in downtown Richmond Hill could soon be up in smoke.

What started out as one store - with a street sign “Cannibliss” - has sprouted into two, both targeting the growing demand for marijuana.

Local Councillor Tom Muench said the store owners report business is booming.

“They’ve tripled in size in the last few weeks; they’re growing exponentially.”

Not so fast, York police say.

“There’s no such thing as a medical marijuana dispensary licence,” said Detective Sergeant Peter Casey of the drug and vice unit.

YRP is concerned if any premise may be distributing controlled substances that is not authorized by law, he said. “At this time, police are aware there are one or more of these premises operating in the Richmond Hill area. We are gathering all the facts before acting.”

The facts, however, may be confusing.

The first storefront, which called itself Cannibliss, opened several weeks ago at Yonge and Centre streets - a slickly decorated shop with quiet music and glass cases displaying small packages and bottles.

On a recent day, a young male customer discussed product with a staff person while another leafed through pages at a table. Three men waited on clients, but did not provide information to The Liberal about the business, promising instead to respond “soon” to questions.

The website, Cannibliss.com, offered a selection of marijuana-based products, but that site disappeared from the web briefly, reappearing again in recent days to announce the store would be “opening soon”.

The original store appears now to be operating under the name CannaClubs by Sativa & Kush. The website says it the GTA’S premiere dispensary, open seven days a week.

A menu lists a variety of products by weight, capsules, drinks, oils and edibles including Carmel Fudge, Triple Toffee Explosion, white chocolate oatmeal cranberry and infused chips in salt n vinegar.

Meanwhile, at a shop nearby, construction is underway on a new Cannibliss store.

Benny Bisogno, Cannibliss director, said his shop will open soon, offering “medical access to medicinal marijuana”.

Once he has ensured a customer’s prescription from a doctor is “legit and not expired...then we validate access to the club. We provide them ways to ingest and smoke their medication” with different strains, edibles and tinctures plus topical creams for skin conditions.

He would not say where his store gets the marijuana.

Bisogno said he has been smoking pot for 10 years.

“I had a bad motorcycle accident. I was in such pain and the doctors wanted me to take Oxycodene and Percocet and I kept refusing.”

Marijuana helped, he said.

“Opiates and codeines are not the way to go.”

He wants to share his knowledge, gleaned from the news and Internet, to help others.

“I felt people were getting misled or mistreated and not educated and we are more knowledgeable than the others.”

Having two stores next door to each other is not a problem, he says - “There’s enough business for the both of us.”

The two Richmond Hill stores are the only ones YRP is aware of “but we wouldn’t be surprised to find out there are others”, said Det. Sergeant Casey, adding, “there are no provisions for these premises to be distributing medical marijuana under Health Canada rules.

“There are laws and regulations in place. If people were able to open without a licence...and we don’t know where the product is coming from, then anyone could do it.”

Casey said he hopes to work with the store owners to find a solution.

“Ultimately we don’t want to use firm enforcement; we want to educate them on what the law is.”

For those who do require medicinal marijuana, Health Canada’s website provides clear instructions and an example form for downloading.

“Not all doctors prescribe, but if you find one who does, you can print out the form - it’s more comprehensive than a regular script - and present to the doctor for signing.”

The same site provides licensed MMPR distributors in the country to whom the forms are forwarded. After it’s processed, patients can have the marijuana delivered within about three days, Det. Sergeant Casey said.

“We’re not trying to make it difficult for those who have a prescription to get what they need, but we need to let people know there are viable, legal alternatives to use that are not a lengthy process.”