Pubdate: Sat, 28 May 2016
Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)
Page: 3
Copyright: 2016 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.torontosun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://torontosun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457
Author: Jerry Agar

TAKE A TOKE AND RELAX A BIT

Stoners Need to Know Weed Is Still Illegal

You'd think the stoners would be a little bit more laid back.

In anticipation of Canada legalizing marijuana, large businesses like 
Loblaw's are already suggesting they are positioned to sell the drug.

Meanwhile, a number of independent "business people" in Toronto 
decided not to wait and began to sell marijuana in what amounted to 
pop-up pot stores.

This past Thursday, after warning stores ahead of time, police raided 
43 stores, arresting 90 individuals and laying on 186 charges.

Friday morning, when Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders attempted to 
publicly explain the situation, he was rudely and repeatedly 
interrupted by activist protestors. Placard wielding protesters also 
gathered outside the building.

Memo to protestors: You're getting what you want. Marijuana will most 
certainly be legalized. Calm down.

Memo to those who set up the illegal stores: There's no possible way 
for you to be on the right side of the law with your store.

What made you think a province that so heavily regulates alcohol - 
legal for nearly 100 years - would turn a blind eye to your selling a 
still illegal product? You need a government licence to sell drugs, 
and that will never change.

These little store operators have referred to themselves as mom and 
pop stores. That sounds nice but they're illegally selling drugs.

It shouldn't be surprising that the chief said at least one of the 
dispensaries raided by police was also selling cocaine.

Illegal drug dealers are just drug dealers. How are they different 
than street gangs and the Hells Angels?

The argument being made by some, that the pop-up dispensaries are 
there to help people who need medical marijuana stinks worse than a 
grow-op. Medical marijuana is legal with a prescription and as with 
all prescription drugs, there's already a legal process in place to 
fill the order.

I've argued against total control of the liquor market through the 
LCBO and The Beer Store, but I'm not drunk enough to think I can just 
set up my own liquor store because I don't like the law.

If marijuana activists and would-be marijuana merchants want to join 
up with free market proponents to change liquor laws and craft new 
marijuana laws, perhaps we could get somewhere. But the noisy fools 
at the police chief's press conference were more harm than help. Will 
the charges stick? Criminal lawyer Ed Prutschi of Crimlawcanada. com 
says: "I think the charges certainly have the potential to hold up - 
the biggest question to me would be how the court will react if 
people say 'I want to adjourn this case until the new legislation 
comes in force.' What's the public interest in charging them then?

"A lot will depend on the specific facts - if they were serving kids, 
or people without medical licenses ... they're in trouble. Otherwise, 
not so much."

That said, if people were trying to be early in order to get 
established and get market share, will the government be likely to 
deal with them, with the large legitimate drug stores, or to set up 
their own LCBO-like stores?

Protestors were yelling the same tired arguments against the 
illegality of marijuana. Again, it's going to be legalized. Take a 
couple fewer tokes once in a while and follow the news.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom