Medical Marijuana
Is Kelowna hostile to medical marijuana?
KELOWNA – The police raid of a marijuana dispensary in downtown Kelowna last week appears to be an extension of a Kelowna bias against medical marijuana facilities, sources say. Police said they raided Kaya Clinic on Lawrence Ave. Jan. 15 based on complaints from the public, including complaints forwarded by the City of Kelowna. Inside, police...
West Kelowna takes aim at medical marijuana dispensaries
WEST KELOWNA - Enquiries about setting up a medical marijuana dispensary on the Westside have prompted the district to close what they describe as a loophole in their business licensing bylaw. “We are adding a sentence into the bylaw that essentially says a business must be in compliance with both the Criminal Code and the...
Police took his stuff without a warrant, now he is fighting to get it back
KAMLOOPS – A Kamloops man went before a provincial court judge today with an unusual request—he wants his marijuana plants back. A Kamloops RCMP officer removed ten plants after she found them in Henry Rhode’s apartment while dealing with an unrelated matter involving his daughter, last summer. He was never charged, despite the fact his...
Kelowna RCMP marijuana raid a ‘form of discouragement’
VERNON - A police raid might seem like an extreme way to send a message, but a Vernon businessman thinks that was the case with a marijuana dispensary that was shut down in Kelowna. Imre Kovacs is a partial owner of The Herbal Health Centre in Vernon, which opened in the summer of 2013, and...
Medical marijuana testing laboratories could soon set up shop in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Medical marijuana analytical testing will soon be a possible business after Kelowna city council agreed with staff that the current medical marijuana production bylaw needed clarification. “We have been approached by several operators seeking clarification,” urban planning manager Ryan Smith told council. “The principal purpose here is to create a definition of analytical...
Marijuana testing to be allowed under new city zoning bylaw
KELOWNA - Sounds like a dream job for some — working at a marijuana testing facility — but the reality is the analytical testing of dried pot is a mundane affair, done wearing lab coats not tie-dyed T-shirts. It’s also going to be an allowable use if Kelowna city council accepts staff’s recommendation that allows...
Police raid medical marijuana dispensary business
KELOWNA - Just because a business is known as a medical marijuana dispensary doesn't mean they won't get raided by police. RCMP Const. Kris Clark says a search warrant was executed on the dispensary located on the 500-block of Lawrence Avenue Thursday, Jan.15 after police received unspecified complaints. “In this particular case we had reasonable...
Former B.C. premier to chair Lumby-based marijuana facility
LUMBY - A company chaired by a former B.C. premier has applied to grow and distribute medical marijuana from a facility in Lumby. True Leaf Medicine Inc. has submitted an application to Health Canada to operate the facility under the federal government’s new rules for the system, which came into effect April 1. Mike Harcourt,...
Semi-legal marijuana grow operators arrested
VERNON - Police believe a North Okanagan couple was stealing electricity from B.C. Hydro to power their legal medical marijuana grow-op. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says a man and woman, both 39, were arrested after police executed a search warrant at 1645 Simons Road in Spallumcheen. The investigation between police and B.C. Hydro began in...
Medicinal marijuana company to set roots in Lumby
LUMBY - The Village of Lumby is open for a once outlawed business and at least one company is highly interested. True Leaf Medicine Inc., chaired by former B.C. premier Mike Harcourt, is waiting for full approval from Health Canada to open a marijuana production facility in Lumby. The municipality recently passed legislation allowing medical...