CANADA:  The dozens of pot dispensaries that have sprouted up in Vancouver over the last few years rely exclusively on illegal suppliers to keep their businesses going because they have no legal means of obtaining medical marijuana.

The Vancouver Police Department is operating under the assumption that many of the city’s marijuana dispensaries are obtaining their pot from people with Health Canada licences to grow small amounts for personal use, said Sgt. Randy Fincham.

“Somehow, they’re getting rid of their marijuana, and somehow the stores at the street level are obtaining their marijuana. The stores don’t have a licence to buy and the homes don’t have a licence to sell,” Fincham said. “It appears that it’s becoming a lucrative business arrangement.”

The B.C. Compassion Club Society only gets its marijuana from trusted growers, said spokeswoman Jamie Shaw, but the arrangement is “not at all” legal.