Montreal’s mayor is vowing the city will do whatever it can to stop a Canadian chain of recreational marijuana shops that plan to sell cannabis across the city starting today.
Cannabis Culture, which is co-owned by activists Jodie and Marc Emery, already has stores in British Columbia and Ontario.
They have now brought their shops to Montreal, despite current federal law not allowing for the sale of recreational marijuana in Canada.
The government is expected to table legislation legalizing cannabis in the spring.
Mayor Denis Coderre sent a tweet out Wednesday morning saying there would be “zero tolerance” shown to those who don’t respect current laws.
In a subsequent tweet, he said the city will use all the administrative tools at its disposal to stop the illegal stores.
A spokeswoman for the Montreal police force said there could be arrests.
“It’s still illegal to sell marijuana for any recreational purposes, and it’s our responsibility to enforce the law — so that’s what we’ll do,” Cmdr. Marie-Claude Dandenault said.
“If criminal acts are committed, we will take action.” [Read more at CBC News]