Police raid SOS marijuana dispensary in east end, charge its manager

Hamilton police have raided an east-end marijuana dispensary and charged its manager with trafficking.

Police say they used a search warrant around 3:30 p.m. Thursday at the SOS Dispensary on King Street East.

Investigators turned up about $50,000 in cannabis marijuana, cannabis resin and tetrahydrocannabinol-based products, police said in a media release.

A 45-year-old man faces three possession for the purpose of trafficking charges one for cannabis, one for cannabis resin and one for tetrahydrocannabinol(THC).

The raid is part of an ongoing crackdown on illegal dispensaries in Hamilton. Late last year, Hamilton's city council even urged police clamp down on dispensaries.

Marijuana possession will be legal in Canada by July, but police sayuntil then, they'll enforce existing laws.

"The Hamilton Police Service will continue to investigate all allegations of criminal activity, including the sale and trafficking of marihuana from dispensaries," said the media release.

In Ontario, the LCBO will distribute legal marijuana through government-regulated stores. Hamilton and Brantford areamong the first communities to get stores. The LCBO says it's still scouting locations.

Some marijuana and dispensary advocates question whether one Hamilton store will be enough to meet demand.