Pubdate: Tue, 24 Jan 2017
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2017 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Authors: Jill Mahoney, Jeff Gray, and Eric Andrew-Gee
Page: A4

POT DISPENSARIES TARGETED BY ROBBERS CREATING TROUBLE FOR TORONTO POLICE

Toronto's illegal marijuana dispensaries have become a magnet for
armed robberies and many owners are not reporting the crimes, a
reality that Mayor John Tory says adds a sense of urgency to the wait
for federal legislation to legalize pot.

The proliferation of storefronts selling marijuana in Toronto has
created spillover problems for police, including 13 armed robberies in
the past eight months - six of which were not reported by employees or
owners of the businesses, police announced on Monday. In addition,
investigators said they believe additional robberies have gone
unreported and that employees and operators of some of the targeted
dispensaries have refused to answer questions or to hand over
surveillance footage.

"The owners and operators of these illegal storefronts, through their
actions, and some through their lack of actions, have given an open
invitation to victimization," Acting Staff Superintendent Bryce Evans
said.

Mr. Tory said he supports the decision by police to continue busting
marijuana retailers until the federal government follows through with
its promise to pass legislation - which the Liberals have promised to
table in the spring - to legalize the drug and lay out where it can be
sold. But he urged the government to draw up the new regime as quickly
as possible: "I know it's complex. But I hope they are working as
quickly as they can."

Mr. Tory called dispensaries "grossly inconsistent" with safe, stable
neighbourhoods and business areas. "And, it turns out, they are a
magnet for the criminal element, in terms of people with guns. They
must think they've died and gone to heaven: They not only can go and
steal money from these places, they can get drugs, too," he said in a
phone interview from Los Angeles, where he is promoting the city's
film industry.

In a statement, federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould defended
police raids of dispensaries.

"Storefronts are not authorized to sell cannabis for medical reasons
or any other purpose," she said. "Until the law changes, the law is
the law. I would note that police priorities are determined by the
local police of jurisdiction in order to meet the needs of their own
communities."

There are an estimated 44 illegal marijuana dispensaries currently
operating in Toronto, police said. Since large-scale raids last May,
officers have executed 33 search warrants against the storefronts,
some of which sell $30,000 worth of marijuana and other products a
day.

Police gave reporters a list of the dispensaries that have been robbed
since June, highlighting those that did not report the crimes, and
later tweeted a photo of the handout.

In most of the robberies, thieves were armed with handguns and, in
three cases, they fired shots. In others, they brought knives and
pepper spray. Two employees were stabbed and other workers and
customers were pistol whipped, pepper sprayed and otherwise roughed
up. Investigators have made several arrests but are looking for
additional suspects. "Whether you're a patron, whether you're an
employee, the bottom line is you are at risk when there's a
takeover-style robbery that comes in and that is reality," Acting
Inspector Steve Watts said of the force's drug squad.

Employees of at least one dispensary feel they were unfairly included
on the list of those who didn't report. Jodie Emery, co-owner of the
Cannabis Culture dispensary chain, said that a customer called police
while the store's Queen Street East location was being robbed on Jan.
4, so that staff didn't feel the need to report the crime themselves.

"I object to the idea that we're not co-operating when people are put
in harm's way," she said.

In his news conference, Staff Supt. Evans said he stood by the force's
list.

Police say officers would seize illegal drugs and lay charges after
entering the storefronts to investigate robberies, a likely reason
behind some victims' reluctance to call 911. Indeed, in two of the
recent robberies, officers laid charges of possession for the purposes
of trafficking against the owners of the businesses. In some cases,
witnesses reported that employees later stuffed their products in bags
and ran away.

Staff Supt. Evans singled out Canna Clinic on Ossington Avenue near
Dundas Street West, which he said was robbed by several masked men
carrying guns who ordered employees and customers to the ground while
they removed cash and drugs. Police only learned of the Dec. 21 crime
after a customer who was present at the time visited the dispensary
the next day to ask if the robbery had been reported. When it became
clear it had not - a worker even denied that it had occurred - he took
to social media, Staff Supt. Evans said. When police later visited the
business, employees refused to answer questions or share surveillance
footage and told officers their board of directors would be in touch
with police, which Staff Supt. Evans said has not happened.

An employee of the Canna Clinic location on Ossington Avenue. declined
to comment on Monday.

Staff Supt. Evans also called attention to recent comments to the
Toronto Star by lawyer Paul Lewin, calling "misleading and
unprofessional" his assertion that the crackdown last May had created
a situation where dispensary owners and operators feel they do not
have the protection of the police.

In an interview, Mr. Lewin, whose practice focuses on cannabis issues
and represents dispensary owners, stood by the remarks. "Prohibition
makes society less safe and essentially these dispensaries are in a
position in which they don't get the protection of police and they
don't get the protection of the law that everybody else gets" because
they are afraid of getting arrested, he said.

Mr. Lewin called on police to exercise discretion on the eve of
legalization and linked the robberies to their heavy-handed tactics.
"I'm astonished that they haven't connected the dots and realized that
it's the crackdown on dispensaries that's causing this new wave of
old-time cannabis prohibition violence," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Matt