A sign in the window at Ocean Sprouts Organic Herb in Vernon states cannabis has been seized from the store, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019.
(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)
August 27, 2019 - 2:37 PM
VERNON - A well-known downtown Vernon pot shop has been shut down.
Ocean Sprouts Organic Herb on 30 Avenue was closed down at around lunchtime today, Aug. 27, by the Community Safety Unit. A notice is now pinned in the window stating "Cannabis has been seized by the Community Safety Unit from this location."
The Community Safety Unit is the provincial department responsible for compliance and enforcement of B.C.'s cannabis laws.
City of Vernon protective services manager Geoff Gaucher confirmed the closure and said the City had one bylaw officer present and RCMP were also present.
Gaucher stressed the issue was the responsibility of the provincial government but a bylaw officer was present as the pot shop had no business licence. Gaucher said the City had received a number of complaints about the business.
Ocean Sprouts Organic Herb existed as a pot shop before the legalization of cannabis, opening in the summer of 2017.
One local business owner said he had seen several people purchase cannabis from the door of the business the day previously.
The Community Safety Unit raided and shut down two illegal cannabis dispensaries earlier this summer in Kamloops.
According to the Community Safety Unit's website, the department has the authority to enter premises where cannabis is being sold without a provincial licence and take enforcement action, including the seizure of cannabis. Convictions under the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act can result in fines up to $100,000 and 12 months in prison.
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