VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Vancouver’s marijuana bylaw is already having a major impact. Twenty-two shops have closed, with 44 violations also handed out by the city.

In October, 140 pot shops were given six months to move to a location in line with the rules of the new bylaw — away from schools, community centres, and other places where kids could be.

“The bylaws were enacted in June, June of last year, in 2015,” says Vancouver’s chief licence inspector Andreea Toma. “Folks knew what was coming. It took us a couple of months to ensure we gave ample time to the interested parties. Not everybody that applied to the city was open. It was a handful of stores that were operational. If you’re operating currently, you get six months.

“No other business is technically allowed to open in the City of Vancouver without the proper regulation. We didn’t have have the framework in place. Now we do.”

Toma says enforcement began this weekend.

“We have our ticketing system,” says Toma. “We also have prosecutions… and fines of up to $10,000 can be put forward to the applicant. We also have injunctions, where we go to the Supreme Court to get an order for the business to close.”

People operating stores without a city business licence could receive fines in the range of $250 a day.