Pubdate: Mon, 30 May 2016
Source: Toronto 24hours (CN ON)
Page: 4
Copyright: 2016 Canoe Inc.
Contact:  http://24hrs.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4068
Author: Sarah Hanlon

T.O. POT RAIDS A TOTAL BUST

We have all heard about the "grey" zone when it come to the green
stuff ... so let me try to clear the air.

Project Claudia will go down in history as a massive blunder for the
Toronto Police Services. While officials remain ignorantly justified
in the closure of almost 50 medical cannabis storefronts, the law firm
representing the dispensaries thinks they have a case against the
charges and the city. And I agree.

On May 26, TPS raided a number of medical cannabis dispensaries,
closing them down, taking their stock and charging their owners and
employees. (TPS had even sent out notices to Vapor Lounges that don't
sell any weed.)

Pot advocates, patients with their prescriptions in hand, owners with
their strict policies, and employees who never broke the rules were
all in disbelief as well.

The operation sparked a conversation about "good" and "bad"
dispensaries. Here's the real tea: there is not a single legal medical
marijuana dispensary in Toronto. No matter how sick a person is, it is
not legal for them to purchase marijuana in a store. The only legal
way to purchase medicinal marijuana is to order it from one of the 27
Health Canada licensed producers (LPs) by mail with a credit card.
Weed can be consumed in a variety of ways: edibles, tinctures, teas,
and topical creams. The aforementioned are healthier alternatives to
smoking marijuana. Well, NONE of these 'miracle' options are available
under the current Health Canada program.

These are the reasons why dispensaries are needed - inaccessible and
expensive government programs have forced individuals to put their
necks on the line to open places where patients can learn about the
true scope of the medicinal benefits of cannabis and which strains are
best for them. But these storefronts are illegal. It's very
ridiculous, unfair and unconstitutional. That's what the Supreme Court
of Canada thought, not just once - but 11 different times.

Patients who were charged for not following the letter of the law when
it came to their medical cannabis had their charges dismissed because
of such problems with the government program. In the last Supreme
Court ruling in February of this year, Judge Michael Phelan called
dispensaries the heart of the medical marijuana industry and gave the
government six months to come up with a new set of rules and
regulations. Since the government has not yet complied with this
ruling, Project Claudia dispensaries have exactly the same defence as
these previous cases - and I feel confident they will triumph in the
same way. They even employed the same lawyer, Kirk Tousaw.

So if the courts, patients, and their advocates all agree that
dispensaries are indispensable, why is the government so determined to
shut them down after all these years, especially when Canada is on the
brink of legalization? Many believe the government attack on
dispensaries comes from pressure to do so from some of those Health
Canada licensed producers who haven't satisfied patient need but are
frustrated to see their investments take on the challenge of
competition. These beliefs take on more weight when you put together
the fact that many of these LPs have ties directly to the Liberal
government. Chuck Rifici - the co-founder of Tweed, one of the largest
and oldest LPs - is also the CFO of the Liberal Party of Canada. Kim
Derry - MP and former Toronto Police chief Bill Blair's long-time
friend and ex-deputy chief - has just recently taken a position at THC
Meds Ontario Inc. and was even quoted saying he will "certainly give
(Bill, who is also the head of the legalizat! ion commission) my
opinion, whether he asks for it or not." Something tells me he has
already asked for it. These suspect political alliances have patients
online calling to #BoycottLPs and recent events in the city were
cancelled for fear of being shut down.

The whole thing is a transparent, corrupt nightmare. The resources
spent by the city to clog the system with charges that will never
stick could have been much better used. Regulations need to be put in
place for such licences to exist because the services are needed and
they are not going to go away.

Dispensaries are the reason medical marijuana and licensed producers
even exist. Their civil disobedience and myriad successful court
battles are the reason why the government was forced to create any
programs we have at all.

Once we get the first dispensary storefront licences in Toronto,
Project Claudia will be remembered as a total bust. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D