A Halifax cannabis dispensary owner says police are “heavily targeting” his store after it was searched twice over the last week.
According to Halifax Regional Police, they received a report of a possible break and enter on May 16 at Coastal Cannapy, located at Agricola Street and West Street. They subsequently went to the scene.
On May 21, officers again responded to an intrusion alarm there.
“In both instances, while investigating the initial reports, officers observed illegal activity and products that led to subsequent search warrants being executed at the premises,” read a statement from police sent by Const. Carol McIssac.
She said police are currently not doing interviews on this matter.
READ MORE: Police seize drugs, cash from cannabis dispensary after investigating break-in
Andrew Laughlin, the owner of the dispensary, was also not available for an interview. Instead, he sent Global News the following statement:
“We have been raided by police [five] times and have had our customers and staff harassed daily by the police as well,” he stated.
Follow-up questions to police regarding the specific harassment (mentioned in a post on Coastal Cannapy’s Facebook page) and targeting accusations weren’t immediately responded to by police.
“When a police officer attends a location in response to a reported crime and witnesses what they believe to be evidence of criminal activity, the appropriate action will be taken,” read the statement from the department.
The statement went on to say that dispensaries are illegal and will continue to be after recreational cannabis becomes legal.
The department responded to the follow-up questions on Wednesday.
“We are not harassing or targeting Coastal Cannapy, their customers or their staff.”
READ MORE: 3 men charged after drug search at Coastal Cannapy
According to Laughlin, Coastal Cannapy serves between 300 and 500 customers per day when operational.
A sign near the entrance of the second-storey store on Tuesday said the store was closed until further notice.
“It’s an unfortunate situation, to say the least,” Chris Backer, vice chair of Maritimers Unite for Medical Marijuana Society, said.
Backer said even with government cannabis stores expected to open as early as July, the current dispensaries offer an important service to cannabis users. He also said some dispensary owners may be scared to call police for crimes committed against them or their property, fearing there will be further repercussions.
“Becoming a victim of a crime is a possible concern for dispensaries. They are dealing with a commodity that is very sought after and often have a lot of cash on hand that may lead to criminals targeting their businesses,” read Tuesday’s statement from police.
“We certainly encourage anyone to call us if they are victimized by a crime. If someone chooses not to call us when they are a victim of a crime because they themselves are committing a crime, that is their decision.”
Coastal Cannapy was previously ordered to close. The municipality “applied to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia for an order to close Coastal Cannapy Medical Dispensary Inc.,” the government announced earlier in the month, “for operating without a permit.”
Comments