Pot shops may fear reporting thefts, robberies: former dispensary owner

When Dean Foster heard an employee at his Regina marijuana dispensary had been robbed at gunpoint, he and the employee discussed whether to report the crime or not.

"We can just be quiet and move on about it or we can go right down to the police station and report this and go through the whole procedure," Foster recalled saying during the conversation.

I just thought that Icouldn'treally accept the fact that this person could go around doing this.- Dean Foster

Foster was the owner of the now closed Natural Healing Clinic in Regina.

He said many owners of such shops may choose not to tell police about robberies or violent crime, because doing so exposes the fact they're selling marijuana illegally.

In his case, though, he said hedidn't hesitate to reportthe crime.

"I just thought that I couldn'treally accept the fact that this person could go around doing this," he said, adding he feared what might happen to another employee if the situation was to happen again.

Opted to shut down

But givenpolice warnings to marijuana dispensaries about potential charges if they are operating illegally, he said he decided to shut his operation down.

He would like to apply through the province's lottery system for a licence to sell marijuana, and says he felt he would be better placed to do that without the cloud or threat of charges hanging around him.

Regina police Chief Evan Bray says police have seen two robberies at marijuana dispensaries reported, but notes there are likely othercrimes that have taken place.

"It's not uncommon for us to have someone who's doing something illegal not report a crime that happened to them for fear of some kind of repercussions," he said.

'Balancing act': police chief

But Bray said when dispensary owners come in to report crimes, police don't prioritize pressing charges against them.

He described it as a "balancing act," and noted that while police have to investigate and lay charges around crime, they also have an obligation to protect citizens, including marijuana dispensaryowners, employees and customers.

"Our goal here isn't to try and further victimize people but really to address a situation we see as a community safety issue," he said.

That includes educating dispensary ownersand talking to them about what is legal and what is not, Bray said.

"Even though it may not always be a comfortable discussion, it's an important one to have."