Pubdate: Thu, 02 Mar 2017 Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON) Copyright: 2017 Canoe Limited Partnership Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/letter-to-editor Website: http://www.ottawasun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329 Author: Jacquie Miller Page: 6 'BUDTENDERS' FIGHT BACK Charged pot shop workers protest against raids Sherry Morrison blames herself for her daughter's arrest on drug trafficking charges. Morrison says her daughter was inspired to become a cannabis activist after she saw first-hand how medical marijuana helped her mom cope with chronic pain. The Morrisons, along with a handful of others, protested outside the Ottawa courthouse on Wednesday, calling on the federal government to move quickly to legalize recreational pot and in the meantime to stop arresting people on marijuana-related charges. Sherry's son Taryn Morrison, 25, carried a placard reading "Let us Be Free." He just got a job at Ottawa's newest pot shop, Cannabis Culture on Bank Street, which opened last week. "I felt like, why not join the movement?" said Taryn, a recreational user. He switched in the past year from heavy drinking to just smoking pot, and says he's much calmer. "With alcohol, I was always fighting all the time, in and out of jail. With weed, it's been a total turnaround. I'm calmer, more relaxed. "And the medical side is also beautiful." The Morrisons aren't concerned about the quality or safety of the cannabis sold at illegal dispensaries. Most of the dried weed, oils and edible products are from illicit growers and bakers in B.C. The federal government warns the products are unregulated and may be unsafe. Taryn said he's more scared about buying weed from sketchy street dealers "pushing out the dime sacks" or from people in unfamiliar houses. "When I walk into a dispensary I don't have to deal with a criminal and bunch of his criminal friends in a house, sitting around smoking. It's a nice, clean, safe environment." Two other budtenders arrested in pot shop raids also joined the protest. Another was inside the courthouse making an appearance. "I don't know how it's going to go with us," said a 21-year-old woman who was arrested at a raid of 613 Medicinals on Montreal Road in December. She was working part-time at the shop while finishing high school. "I've heard, just from people talking, that they may drop the charges. I'll probably just get a fine." She said she hopes to go to college next year for horticulture and eventually have a career growing cannabis. "I support legalization of marijuana and freedom of choice." Ottawa police have refused to release the names of the 19 people charged in the 11 raids conducted so far, saying it would interfere with their drug investigations. But the Sun has identified and traced the court records of seven of the budtenders, and no charges have been dropped. Ottawa police have said they consulted with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, the agency responsible for prosecuting drug crimes, to make sure charges could be viable before any raids were conducted. They also issued warnings that the dispensaries were illegal and drug laws could be enforced. There are about 15 dispensaries in Ottawa, and their operations vary widely. At a shop tucked into an industrial mall on Canotek Road in Gloucester, owner-operator Charlie Cloutier says he only sells "award-winning, quality products" to people who have a doctor's note proving they need medical marijuana, or who are already signed up to buy it legally from a Health-Canada licensed producer. "I am very worried about police raids. I've got a family, I've got children. But I feel strongly about this." The store is a franchise of the Victoria-based Beard Brothers Society, but Cloutier says he plans to change the name and run it independently soon. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt