Nanaimo pot store shut next to daycare

Nanaimo RCMP have shut down a marijuana dispensary located beside a daycare.

Leaf Labs opened on Friday at 679 Terminal Ave., next door to Kids Kompany.

On Monday, Mounties carried out a compliance check at the dispensary and said that evidence was found that violates the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. A 24-year-old man was arrested, said Nanaimo RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O’Brien.

The dispensary was closed and secured by officers until a search warrant was granted to enter the premises. Police carried out the search Monday night and seized 1.5 pounds of marijuana.

The man was arrested for possession for the purpose of trafficking and released on a promise to appear in court on July 10.

Nanaimo RCMP said there is no legal mechanism in Canada which allows medicinal marijuana dispensaries or compassion clubs to sell marijuana to the public, regardless of whether an individual has a licence to possess marijuana or whether the vendor has a licence to produce it.

“The RCMP is guided by the existing laws and legislation. We recognize the current complexities surrounding the potential for future legislative changes; however, the RCMP is mandated with enforcing the laws of Canada as they exist today,” said Supt. Cameron Miller, head of Nanaimo RCMP.

One of the factors involved in checking this particular dispensary was its proximity to a licensed daycare, Nanaimo RCMP said. The daycare was closed for Family Day when the raid was carried out.

The owner of Kids Kompany declined to comment.

In December 2015, Nanaimo RCMP raided three marijuana dispensaries — Trees Dispensary, Nature’s Source Society and Phoenix Pain Management — and seized thousands of dollars of cannabis. All three pot shops were open again the next day.