2:15 p.m. update:
Barrie Police provided the following statement regarding storefront marijuana dispensaries since our original story was published:
"A person is able to legally fulfill and obtain their prescription for marijuana from any of the 18 manufacturers in Ontario approved by Health Canada. Prescriptions are processed and delivered through the mail and not through store-front type businesses. The management of dispensaries not approved by Health Canada in our area is multifaceted between the Barrie Police Service, the City of Barrie, Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit and under the guidance and advisement of our Crown Attorney’s office."
Sunrise Medicinal opened on Dunlop Street East three months ago and business appears to be booming.
Owner "Joe" is from Barrie and claims he's the first marijuana dispensary in town.
A steady stream of clients can be observed coming and going at the storefront pot shop.
"Everybody is very happy that we're here," said Joe, who declined to give his last name during a recent telephone interview. "These are all people that now have the option to come to a place like Sunrise as opposed to having to go to the black market - the streets."
Joe says other pot dispensaries have followed his lead and opened up in Barrie.
On Friday morning, Joe said hasn't heard anything about Barrie shops being raided by the police other than a warning that if more dispensaries open following Sunrise, authorities will have to take action.
He won't comment on where he heard that.
"In the interim, I do not expect Sunrise will be shut down by the Barrie police or the RCMP," he said. "Sunrise is taking the necessary steps with the city of Barrie to assist in regulation as a preventative measure to the issues seen in Toronto. We are also reaching out to other dispensaries to assemble an association of our own so that other clubs can operate to the same very high standard set by Sunrise."
At Sunrise, he says, they only accept members who have a doctor's authorization to use cannabis for a medical purpose.
"Dry flowers, which is standard. Many different forms. We don't sell edibles like cookies, brownies chocolate bars."
With the exception of a couple of curious local shop owners stopping by to ask what the store is all about, Joe says there's been no reaction to Sunrise's opening.
"It's all new territory," he said. "It's new to everybody across Canada. There's a lot of cities asking the federal government how do we do this, how do we regulate. Until the spring of 2017, it's kind of up in the air."
The federal government has promised a legalization bill next spring and storefront dispensaries have been popping up across the country in anticipation.
Joe hopes the government delivers on that promise.
"Sunrise has had to put its own standards and operating practices in place because the government has not provided any guidance," said Joe. "We have implemented the same record keeping, quality assurance, good production practices and follow the directive on physical security for controlled substances. We are an extension of the MMPR if it allowed for storefront distribution. We are confident that we have done a great job with the rules we have implemented and have mitigated any potential risk to public health and safety."
Barrie's Mayor Jeff Lehman issued a statement on the issue Friday.
“This is an issue being faced by cities across the country right now due to the uncertainty of future changes to the marijuana laws," Lehman said. "It speaks to the need for a quick and clear decision by the Federal government and parliament on legalization (or not) and the rules around it. In the meantime all businesses are bound by the laws that are on the books.”
Toronto police and bylaw officers raided dozens of marijuana dispensaries Thursday in a crack down targeting dispensaries allegedly selling marijuana outside of federal medicinal marijuana regulations.
"Toronto got out of hand," said Joe. "Too many opened recently and operated as if there were no laws at all. A few bad apples ruined it and something had to be done. Unfortunately many good clubs that have operated for years without issue got roped into it. What should have happened long ago is federal regulation of dispensaries. It's no longer deniable that dispensaries are what the people want."
Ontario's police leaders issued a statement Thursday evening on marijuana dispensaries which said that to police, the current laws are clear.
"Our officers are sworn to uphold the current laws governing marihuana, particularly in cases of trafficking," the statement from the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police read. "Trafficking of marihuana is prohibited by section 5(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA). In order for someone to be exempted from criminal liability, he or she must bring themselves within one of the legislated or adjudicated exemptions to the CDSA."
The Chiefs said that people who traffic marijuana in violation of those regulated exemptions are subject to prosecution under the CDSA.
"We understand that the courts have declared that the federal government must provide reasonable access to a legal source of marihuana to users who are duly authorized by a healthcare practitioner. The concern with the dispensaries in question is that they are not authorized by government licensing bodies to dispense marihuana. At this time, there exist only two lawful means of distributing marihuana in Canada: (1) Via the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPRss), or (2) Pursuant to the judicially-preserved Marihuana Medical Access Regulations (MMARs), more commonly known as the 'Allard injunction'."
The City of Barrie passed a bylaw in June 2015 to licence, regulate and govern medical marijuana facilities in Barrie.
It includes a fee of $205 for a new business licence for a medical marijuana facility, and a $205 renewal fee.
Under the current bylaw, Sunrise is not licensed but Joe says he's proposing a plan to council that would allow storefront businesses like Sunrise to obtain a business license similar to what Vancouver has done.
Sunrise has a policy of only serving patients 24 or older with a couple of rare exceptions.
Clients interviewed this week outside Sunrise Medicinal sung its praises.
Giuliano, 23, got his medical license two years ago but has been using pot for medical purposes for the past six for chronic knee pain.
"It's really nice to be able to have a store front and come and be able to see it in person, talk to somebody. They're very professional. They know what they're talking about," he said."They have security in place, buzz in clients, cameras all around. Support a local business by putting tax money back into Barrie."
Mike Dobson, 30, has been a client since Sunrise opened.
Dobson obtained his medical license in 2008 to control epileptic seizures.
"We need more dispensaries because the regulation regime we have right now does not address enough of our concerns," he said.
"I am confident in my city and its police force to use discretion and realize that shutting down Sunrise would only hurt the people of Barrie," said Joe.
