TORONTO — Workers at a medical marijuana dispensary in Toronto’s east end have joined Unifor, the country’s largest private-sector union.
Forty workers — including reception, production, supervisors and packaging and retail staff — at the Broadview Avenue location of Canna Clinic are now members of Unifor.
Unifor says it’s believed to be the first time that marijuana dispensary workers in Canada have unionized.
Marijuana dispensaries are currently illegal in Canada. The only legal way for Canadian patients to purchase the drug is directly from Health-Canada licensed producers, who ship it via mail.
Unifor president Jerry Dias said all workers have a right to unionize, regardless of an industry’s status.
Canna Clinic has four other locations in Toronto as well as clinics in Vancouver.
Unifor says the union will begin to negotiate a first contract at the dispensary.