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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2015
Pot dispensaries raided by RCMP I
New rabbi leads city’s Hanukkah celebrations By Tamara Cunningham
ARRESTS MADE, products seized at three locations.
THE NEwS BULLETiN
Rabbi Bentzi Shemtov gets some help from his son Mendel in demonstrating the lighting of the menorah to celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, which begins at sunset on Sunday (Dec. 6).
arrival of Shemtov and his family, who moved to Nanaimo from Toledo, Ohio a month ago. “Now that we have a rabbi and a budding synagogue here, a place to go to form a community, that brings it again to a whole new level,” he said. See ‘HANUKKAH’ /10
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Empty jars, T-shirts and the lingering smell of marijuana were nearly all that was left at Limelife Society dispensary Tuesday, as the owner closed up shop in the wake of police raids. Hash, bud, cookies and candy advertised in an online store menu were gone from the Nicol Street storefront. Twin paper cups had been left on a coffee table next to a crinkled scrap of rolling paper and a Nintendo controller, there were boxes of rolling paper on a shelf and the fridge was almost bare. The shop closed as the Nanaimo RCMP raided three other Nanaimo dispensaries and arrested employees, according to the owner, who asked not to be named. He’s now waiting to see what happens. The police executed s e a rc h w a r r a n t s o n Nature’s Source Society, Phoenix Pain Management Society and Trees Dispensary Nanaimo Tuesday, close to three weeks after putting 11 medical marijuana dispensaries on
CHRIS BUSH/THe NewS BUlleTIN
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By Tamara Cunningham
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Nanaimo’s new rabbi will usher in the eight-day Hanukkah celebration on the steps of city hall next week. Rabbi Bentzi Shemtov will mark Hanukkah with music, doughnuts and a menorah-lighting ceremony at Nanaimo city hall on Dec. 8, three days into the Jewish holiday. It’s the first community event for the rabbi, who plans to open a central Vancouver Island Jewish centre that serves community needs from synagogue to educational and social events, like bar mitzvahs. Until now, Shemtov said there hasn’t been a full-time rabbi for the central Island, although his brother-in-law Rabbi Meir Kaplan made the trip here twice a year from Victoria. They are both part of the Chabad organization, which has 4,000 centres globally, and saw a demand here for a full-time rabbi. Shemtov estimates there are 1,000 to 1,500 Jews in the region and hopes the new centre, still in the works, becomes a home where Jewish people can connect to their heritage and with other Jewish people and come together for holidays like this December’s Hanukkah, or Friday night Sabbath dinner. “A lot of [Jews] told us, some of them are more religious, some of them are less, but everyone wants some type of Jewish presence over where they can meet other Jews and be part of their culture,” he said. Richard Steinberg, a Nanoose resident, is excited about the
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notice that they had seven days to stop selling marijuana before they could face enforcement, including the seizure of “offencerelated” property. Executives from the three dispensaries claim 16 people were arrested and charged. Trees Dispensary Nanaimo and Phoenix Pain Management Society also say police took everything, including cash and product. At a press conference Wednesday, all of the dispensaries announced they’ll remain open and Trees also called for the federal government to immediately strike marijuana from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The Nanaimo RCMP were unavailable for an update on arrests by press time. “We have an obligation to our 1,200 patients to provide them with their medicine and that, in my opinion, morally trumps everything,” said Matthew O’Donnell, communications director for Phoenix Pain Management Society, later adding he’s terrified, but believes he’s doing the right thing. A Nanaimo RCMP press release, sent Tuesday morning, said several public complaints were received about illegal marijuana dispensaries. See ‘MARIJUANA’ /3
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