The Cannabis Culture marijuana dispensary on Bank Street that was raided by police on Thursday reopened Friday morning.
The shop was back in business by 10:30 a.m., according to two people working at nearby businesses on Bank Street near James Street.
The Cannabis Culture franchise first opened two weeks ago.
Police arrested five men at the shop Thursday morning and charged each of them with five counts of possessing a Schedule II substance for the purpose of trafficking (marijuana, THC oil, THC shatter, hashish and CBD oil) and one count of possessing the proceeds of crime under $5,000.
The Ottawa raid was conducted at the same time as a project co-ordinated by Toronto police called Operation Gator that targeted Cannabis Culture outlets in Toronto, Hamilton and Vancouver. Police executed 11 search warrants on seven Cannabis Culture outlets as well as private homes as part of that project.
A spokesperson for Cannabis Culture said Thursday night that the raided shops would reopen as soon as possible.
In Ottawa, customers were heading back into the shop by 10:30 a.m.
The Vancouver Cannabis Culture HQ that was raided Thursday was back open by the end of the day.
The couple that founded Cannabis Culture, activists Marc and Jodie Emery, were to appear in a Toronto court Friday morning for a bail hearing. They were arrested Wednesday night at the Toronto airport on their way to Spain. They have been charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, trafficking a Schedule II substance, possession for the purpose of trafficking a schedule II substance, and possessing the proceeds of crime.
Marc Emery was also charged with a fail-to-comply recognizance. He was arrested in Montreal in December after six Cannabis Culture shops were raided in that that city.
During the Montreal raid, Marc Emery was charged with with drug trafficking, possession for the purpose of trafficking and conspiracy. He was released after posting a $5,000 bond and was prohibited from consuming cannabis, entering places that produce or sell cannabis, or communicating with anyone linked to Cannabis Culture operations in Montreal.
The Montreal shops were only open for a day before police closed them down, but one has re-opened as a head shop.
The Emerys have vowed to open pot shops across the country that sell marijuana to anyone over age 19. Most of the shops, including the one in Ottawa, are franchise operations.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Cannabis Culture Pot Shop Is Back In Business One Day After Police Raid
Author: Staff
Contact: 1-613-596-3664
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Ottawa Citizen
