Pubdate: Tue, 20 Dec 2016
Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 The Toronto Star
Contact:  http://www.thestar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456
Author: Hina Alam
Page: GT2

SECRET MARIJUANA MARKET TAKES EDIBLES TO NEW HIGH

In an uncertain legal climate, vendors sell THC-infused goodies
praised by the ailing

There is more to weed than rolling a joint and smoking it.

The various potions, potencies and procedures involved in preparing
cannabis-infused wares and edibles might please any chemist, while the
business aspect of it might make it seem like Christmas every day to
many a manufacturer. This was demonstrated on a frosty Sunday evening
as over 30 vendors set up stalls for a Green Market, "Nuit Verte," at
a "secret location" to sell weed-infused products to more than 400
eager customers.

The Green Market was billed as craft cannabis night market (strictly
for adults) in celebration of legalization.

In an appropriately green-painted cavernous hall, people milled around
surrounded by every imaginable product - bath salts; creams; oils;
Jolly Ranchers; cookies, marshmallows and pretzels, all THC-laden -
waiting to be dipped into weed-infused chocolate fondue, mac and
cheese, cookies and more.

Market co-founder Lisa Campbell said they've opened for several
evenings this year since Mother's Day. It was started to create a
space for local vendors of craft edibles to sell their products, she
said, because dispensaries refused to sell edibles after the Project
Claudia police raids in May.

"You have an industry that's suffering in Toronto so we come together
as a community to support each other and keep it together," she said.

In May, Toronto police raided dozens of medical marijuana dispensaries
and refused to say whether the charges involved city bylaw infractions
or Criminal Code offences.

Although the market is held at a secret location every time, police
were outside their market the last time it was held, Campbell said,
and organizers were afraid of a police crackdown this time around. In
the end, no police came, but many others did; while Sunday's official
start time was 6 p.m., an hour before that cars carrying eager
marijuana users were skidding into parking spots snaking around the
building.

When the venue hit capacity, people queued up and waited for others to
leave so they could tour the market.

Inside, vendors readied their tables. One of them, Samantha Smith of
the High 5, said edibles are the best way to get medicine for a lot of
people. She said the High 5 holds a pop-up shop once or twice a month
in different locations.

The strongest product High 5 had Sunday was a pack of three candies
adding up to 250 mg of THC, the main constituent of cannabis.

Guy Kramer, one of the founders of the Green Chef, Toronto, was
spinning weed-infused pink cotton candy and telling his story of
medical cannabis. Kramer said his father suffers from Stage 4 lung
cancer and found that medicinal pot edibles alleviated his pain. By
closing down the dispensaries the government is sentencing a lot of
people to death, Kramer said.

Christie, a 55-year-old user, came to the market to find candy or
toffee. She said she suffered from sleepwalking and insomnia and found
that weed-infused candy helps her sleep better.
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MAP posted-by: Matt