A belief that Ontario’s lottery system is ‘unfair’ to dispensaries looking to enter the legal market is why illegal dispensaries stay open despite legal ramifications, says cannabis lawyer.

Last week, after 18 people were arrested in connection with the Café chain of cannabis dispensaries across Toronto, police blocked the entrances with cement blocks.

The barricades did not stop sales, however, as marijuana transactions were conducted one by one on the street outside.

“The lottery system is perceived by many as an unfair entry point into [the]market,” cannabis lawyer Caryma Sa’d said on CTV’s Your Morning Monday. “There have been people who have an immense amount of expertise and knowledge, these craft producers entrepreneurs, who are being shut out from the very industry they effectively helped legalize.”

– Read the entire article at CTV News