Two more cannabis dispensaries in Hamilton have been targeted by police, their doors barred, locks changed and alarm systems installed, bringing the total number of illegal storefronts seized here to eight.

On Wednesday, officers from the Provincial Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Team, which includes three Hamilton officers, executed warrants at two dispensaries in a strip mall at 1447 Upper Ottawa St., south of Stone Church Road East.

The dispensaries, The Honey Pot and Herbal Life, were seized under powers granted to police by the Ontario Cannabis Act, said Deputy Chief Dan Kinsella.

Right now, the only way to legally buy cannabis in Ontario is online through the Ontario Cannabis Store, with the first 25 bricks-and-mortar stores coming in April.

Kinsella said there are about 18 illegal dispensaries still operating in Hamilton, which police are committed to closing.

After legalization in October, about eight dispensaries have also decided to close on their own, he said.

That includes Georgia Peach, which announced Tuesday that they were closing their store at 76 George St. It was an about-face as the store had only reopened last Friday, a day after the chain's four other dispensaries were hit in police raids and 25 employees charged.

Kinsella cautiously welcomed news that Georgia Peach had closed its latest location voluntarily.

"For us, I would like to say that the closure of any illegal cannabis storefront or dispensary (gives) some level of calm in the community," he said.

He said police did not have any direct contact with people in the store after it reopened.

But he also noted that there is still a lot of work to do and a lot of unknowns. It remains unclear how the courts will deal with those charged.

Before legalization, dispensary employees charged with drug offences were often given a peace bond — a sentence Kinsella said did nothing to deter others from opening illegal dispensaries. Now, police are hoping to see stiff penalties and the courts backing the police decision to seize the properties.

"We're waiting very patiently for decisions by the court ... until we get that we don't know where we stand," he said.

Many of those charged in raids are dispensary employees. However, Kinsella said police are working to identify and charge owners, where possible. This can be a challenge when the business owner is offsite and not listed in documentation, or when the property is owned by a numbered company.

The possibility that some illegal dispensaries are owned or backed by organized crime is also on police "radar" and part of the mandate of the provincial task force, Kinsella said.

noreilly@thespec.com

905-526-3199 | @NicoleatTheSpec

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