Pot shop under pressure

A Penticton woman is decrying the City of Penticton's crackdown on an illegal dispensary operating on Front Street.

Katie MacArthur says TPD Health Boutique services many low-income and senior medicinal cannabis users. 

"There's a very large portion of the community that is going to be going without a service they've become accustomed to," MacArthur said. 

TPD Boutique was given a business license in March of this year to operate as a wellness centre, but Anthony Haddad, director of development services with the City of Penticton, said the shop was specifically told they could not sell marijuana. 

"Over the last month or two, staff had witnessed the boutique operating as a cannabis dispensary," Haddad said. "They determined the action contravened the city zoning bylaw, city's controlled substance property remediation bylaw and their business license bylaw."

The license was revoked in late October, but when city staff returned to inspect, they found it was still operating. It was given a whopping $1,900 in fines over two days last week.

MacArthur heard the news, and decided to help by putting together a petition both online and on paper to present to council at Tuesday's meeting, trying to demonstrate the shop is vital for many people. She said many of the shop's customers have mobility issues, and can't get up to Kamloops to the nearest official government cannabis shop, and often can't afford to purchase it online and have it shipped. 

"I'm doing my part, I'm doing the best that I can to try to make sure that these people have access to their medication," MacArthur said. "And it's not just seniors I'm advocating for, it's people that, when you're in pain, you're suffering, who is anyone to say that you shouldn't have the right or the access to that kind of medication?"

MacArthur will be out knocking on doors gathering signatures and personal testimony all weekend, hoping for plenty of material to back her cause. She will present a petition to council Tuesday.