Pubdate: Fri, 03 Jun 2016 Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON) Page: 5 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: Sean Fitzgerald ACTIVIST RIPS PROJECT CLAUDIA Marijuana activist Sarah Hanlon was lined up to speak at a Women Grow networking event before the Toronto pot raids happened. "I was just going to do a little speech about how positive everything was going," said Hanlon, the winner of reality series Big Brother Canada 3 and a frequent contributor to 24 Hours, before speaking at Thursday's event. "So, now it's going to be a little bit about what Toronto Police Services did, how it was a real blunder on their part, and how we can come together as a community to have our voice heard in the most impactful way." Last week, Toronto Police raided more than 40 dispensaries, arresting 90 people and laying nearly 200 charges in the 'Project Claudia' investigation. Allegedly, the weed shops were operating outside of Canada's medical marijuana regulations. Earlier this week, Coun. Norm Kelly told 24 Hours that he wished the City and Toronto Police Services had been "tied in more closely, with what was going on federally," in terms of the lead-up to planned marijuana legalization in 2017. Mayor John Tory told media this week that he played no role in setting up the raids. "It's a blunder and I think it's going to be remembered as an embarrassment," said Hanlon of the pot dispensary sweep. "It's quite shocking. We're just about to legalize, and this is the angle that Toronto Police Services decides to take?" Women Grow, which formed in 2014 in Denver to empower female leaders in the emerging cannabis industry, opened a Toronto chapter in 2015. Thursday night's event was held at the Centre For Social Innovation in the Annex. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D