Toronto set to crack down on illegal marijuana dispensaries JEFF GRAY - CITY HALL REPORTER The Globe and Mail Published Thursday, May 12, 2016 11:00AM EDT Last updated Thursday, May 12, 2016 8:39PM EDT
In a sweeping crackdown, Toronto officials say that, by month’s end, every single one of the city’s growing number of marijuana dispensaries – estimated at up to 100 storefronts across town – will be facing charges for violating zoning rules and up to $50,000 in fines.
Word of the blitz came as Mayor John Tory labelled the growth of pot shops “alarming,” and called for city staff to study the licensing regimes now in place in Vancouver and Victoria to see if Toronto could bring in similar rules that would control, for example, how close dispensaries can set up to schools. In the meantime, Mr. Tory also asked city staff to work with Toronto police “to address the health and safety concerns of neighbours and businesses” as the pot shops proliferate.