BANFF – Federal Crown prosecutors have dropped all criminal charges related to an illegal cannabis dispensary that opened up in Banff at the beginning of 2017.
Canna Clinic opened its doors at the beginning of January with a business licence from the Town of Banff to operate as a medical office and sell cannbis related accessories.
It soon became clear to municipal planners and local RCMP, however, that the business was operating as a cannabis retail outlet, distributing what is still a controlled substance under Canadian law.
RCMP raided the business on Jan. 10, and laid multiple charges against 10 staff members – Kyler Benight, Margaret Ellery, Harrison Greer, Christian Heinz, John Grant, Anthony Armstrong, Christopher Walter, Cedric Kuhl, Nicholas Migliarese and Kavan Benthien Pereira Macedo.
In June, the Crown withdrew all charges against nine of the accused and on July 20 issued a stay for the charges against Macedo in Calgary Provincial Court.
Federal Crown prosecutor K. Janis sought forfeiture of all seized items from the illegal dispensary, which included $24,000 cash found in a safe and more than three kilograms of dried cannabis. Other seized and forfeit items included laptops, THC infused products like creams, oils and bath bombs, hash oil and resin.
Janis said the Crown was not proceeding with prosecuting the charges because there was no longer a reasonable prospect of conviction in the case.
“One thing the Crown was intent on seeing was forfeiture of the seized items in this case,” she added.
Janis said other reasons for the decision to drop the charges included the fact that cannabis is going to legal as a recreational drug in Canada as of Oct. 17, 2018.
