As West Kelowna council gets set to consider a new bylaw on commercial marijuana next week, the city has released a statement summarizing the local RCMP’s position on the issue of marijuana dispensaries.
In the statement West Kelowna’s top cop describes dispensaries as illegal.
“The RCMP is responsible for enforcing Canadian laws, as they stand today. Our communities expect that we will take enforcement action to meet this responsibility, and do so in an impartial and professional manner,” wrote Staff Sergeant Lesli Roseberry.
“There is no such thing as having a tolerance for marijuana dispensaries. Simply put, these dispensaries are illegal.”
Roseberry told West Kelowna that dispensary staff may be being charged with trafficking “should evidence exist to support a charge.”
“We support local businesses whose operations are conducted within the current scope of local, provincial and federal laws. Business operators who choose to conduct their operations outside of these laws may be investigated,” she wrote.
A city spokesperson would not release the original statement the RCMP provided to the city.