Landlords leasing to illegal marijuana storefronts have been told they have three days to close down these businesses or face stiff fines for bylaw zoning violations. That’s the message from Tracey Cook, executive director of the city’s licensing division on Thursday. The City’s goal “is not just to go out and hammer people,” it’s to ensure property owners comply with the rules, she said. Notices are being delivered this week to an estimated 75 such shops similar to the Green Room Society store on Mt. Pleasant Rd. They are all contravening bylaws because only federally licensed marijuana growers in industrial areas of the city can legally produce pot for medical patients, Ms. Cook said. “The fact of the matter is the law is the law as it is written today and it is our responsibility to enforce it appropriately.” The federal government’s plan to legalize pot is still months away.
