Pubdate: Tue, 31 May 2016
Source: Hamilton Spectator (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 The Hamilton Spectator
Contact:  http://www.thespec.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/181
Author: Diana Mehta
Page: A7

DISPENSARY COALITION CALLS FOR POT CHARGES TO BE DROPPED

A coalition of marijuana dispensaries says the City of Toronto and its
police force made a "major mistake" when they targeted dozens of pot
shops and are calling for charges to be dropped against those arrested
during the raids last week.

The Toronto Dispensaries Coalition says the majority of the shops
offer high-quality medical cannabis products to those who need them.

"The city needs to realize that they have made a major mistake, that
they're ruining the lives of people that have families, that have
futures," coalition spokesperson Adolfo Gonzalez said Monday.

"What I'm calling for is the dropping of the charges
immediately."

Last Thursday, police accompanied by city municipal licensing and
standards officials carried out search warrants at 43 locations and
arrested 90 people, including shop owners and employees.

The operation - dubbed Project Claudia - angered some Torontonians,
who denounced it as a waste of police resources, while others
questioned the timing of the move - just months after the federal
government announced it will introduce legislation to legalize and
regulate marijuana next spring.

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders rejected the criticism, saying
"genuine" health concerns and "significant" community complaints
prompted the raids.

Gonzalez said most dispensaries in the city operate by the rules of
practice established by the Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis
Dispensaries, which is akin to a governing body.

"They are operating in the open, they are not in back alleys, they are
paying their taxes, they are testing their product," he said of the
pot shops that had been raided.

"We have a track record of knowing what's in our medicine and helping
people effectively."

For many of those arrested in last week's raids, the police action was
highly troubling.

Mitchell Cutler, a front-line dispensary worker, said he had just
finished helping an elderly woman who needed a cannabis-infused
ointment for her arthritis when police burst in.

"This was a real shock to me," said Cutler, who was charged with
possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. "I think
Project Claudia was unnecessary, it was heavy handed."

Noelle Watson, a 22-year-old who uses medical marijuana for relief
from the pain caused by a cyst on her spine, said police and city
officials perhaps don't realize the impact their raid has had.

"I choose to use local dispensaries because accessing medical
marijuana is incredibly difficult," she said, noting that her order
for medical cannabis to a licensed producer has yet to be processed.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt