'Budtender' speaks out after arrest during Ottawa pot shop raids

Tessa Giberson made $12 an hour working at Green Tree Medical Dispensary on Preston Street — and is now on the hook for the array of products in the store and all the cash on the property after police raided the business on Friday.

"It's absolutely terrifying. I was never, ever in my life planning on going to jail," Giberson said.

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The 21-year-old self-described "budtender" said they started working at the store because they thought it fell in a legal grey zone as federal legislation to legalize marijuana is expected by spring of 2017.

"In terms of the structure of everything, I'm the lowest of the low," Giberson said. "I'm on the very bottom of the totem pole so I thought odds are I'm probably not going to be affected at all by any sort of law enforcement on it."

But on Friday morning, Giberson was arrested and charged with five counts of possession of an illegal substance for the purposes of trafficking and one count of possession of proceeds of crime under $5,000. 

"All of the cash that was in the till, all of the money that was in the ATM, as well as all of the money that was in the safe — I'm being charged for that, which I find laughable because, I mean, I make 12 bucks an hour, none of that money is mine," they said.

Giberson was released with conditions not to go to her work, or any other marijuana dispensary, on a promise to appear in court Dec. 7.

The store on Preston Street remained closed on Sunday. The shelves were empty but a Starbucks cup with the name "Tessa" written on it remained on the counter.

Coordinated raids

On Friday morning, police raided six dispensaries: the Wee Medical Dispensary Society shops at 358 Rideau St. and 293 St Laurent Blvd., the Green Tree Medical Dispensary shops at 290 Montreal Rd., 256 Bank St. and 352 Preston St., and CannaGreen at 2288 St. Joseph Blvd.

On Wednesday, police joined a bailiff to help enforce the eviction of CannaGreen pot dispensary at 33 Roydon Pl. in Nepean.

The storefront had been previously boarded up after a truck crashed through it in October.

Police then raided that location on Thursday.

In total, police said nine people were arrested and expected to face charges of possession for the purposes of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime.

Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau said Friday that remaining marijuana dispensaries in Ottawa are "on notice," and hoped those businesses "would close down on their own accord."

Though legislation to legalize marijuana is coming the federal government has warned possession, production and trafficking of marijuana remains illegal. 

Health Canada issued a directive in August that marijuana dispensaries remain illegal.

Don Briere, the B.C.-based owner of two dispensaries called Weeds Glass and Gifts in Ottawa, said he decided to close the businesses this weekend to reevaluate after the raids.

He said he follows all tax and financial laws — and only sells to patients with medical marijuana licences.