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.  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D