Two cannabis dispensaries in Vancouver were raided Wednesday afternoon by B.C.‘s Community Safety Unit, according to a prominent drug activist linked to both locations.
The raids were carried out at the Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary storefronts on Thurlow Street and East Hastings Street, according to Dana Larsen, whose Medicinal Mushroom Dispensary locations have also been targeted by law enforcement in recent years.
“Both cannabis dispensaries emptied of product,” he wrote on social media. “No arrests made.”
Good question. We're serving the medicinal community that is not being served by legal shops. We provide high potency edibles, suppositories and other products medical users can't get on the legal market. I believe our services are still crucially needed. https://t.co/8kDAEP8eyk
— Dana Larsen (@DanaLarsen) January 29, 2025
Larsen said he expects the dispensaries to reopen on Thursday, but called the raids “financially devastating” for his ongoing Get Your Drugs Tested project, which uses funding from his various dispensaries to offer free fentanyl screening in the city.
It’s unclear what brought authorities to the Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary shops on Wednesday. Officers from the Vancouver Police Department were present, but a spokesperson told CTV News they were only “standing by for safety,” and directed questions to the Community Safety Unit.
CTV News has reached out to B.C.‘s Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, which operates the CSU, for more information. This article will be updated if a response is received.
Larsen shared an image of a public notice left at the East Hastings Street dispensary indicating drugs were seized under the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act, but providing no further details.
Read the full story at CTV News
