Cop raids on pot shops catch staff by surprise "Oh great." That's the first thought 26-year-old Rebecca said she had when she saw police officers enter the Cannabis Culture store on Queen St., near Broadview, in a Thursday morning raid that targeted the chain of dispensaries nationwide. "I actually didn't have much of a reaction time," she said, declining to provide her last name, but identifying herself as one of five employees at the store. "I couldn't even yell, 'Raid!' " [continues 317 words]
Don't look now but grampa might be sparking a doobie. A Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) survey has shown that not only is marijuana use up among Ontario adults aged 18 and over, it has also increased in people aged 50 and over - rising from 3% in 1977 to 23% in 2015. CAMH Dr. Robert Mann said the province's pot users are definitely aging. "The people who started using cannabis when they were teenagers, the baby boom generation, now that that group is getting older, they're keeping their habits with them," he said. [continues 91 words]
Bylaws used against dispensaries When it comes to shutting down marijuana dispensaries, Mark Sraga admits it's a bit like playing whack-a-mole. "It's still an ongoing challenge," said Sraga, director of investigative services for the City of Toronto. "Dispensaries open, dispensaries close." But his officers are seeing "better success" as they use city bylaws against illegal pot shops, he added. When the city began its crackdown in May - as the big green leaf signifying cannabis began frequently popping up on storefronts around the city - there were 48 stores open. [continues 286 words]
Marc Emery tackles hot pot topics Marc Emery may be the Prince of Pot, but he still harbours serious concerns about a future with legal marijuana. A federal task force on the legalization and regulation of marijuana is expected to report back in November. Legislation is expected in the spring. Arguably one of the most well-known marijuana advocates in the country, Emery says he fears small-time dispensaries and long-time pot advocates will be frozen out once weed is legal. [continues 378 words]
Marc Emery may be the Prince of Pot, but he still harbours serious concerns about a future with legal marijuana. A federal task force on the legalization and regulation of marijuana is expected to report back in November. Legislation is expected in the spring. Arguably one of the most well-known marijuana advocates in the country, Emery says he fears small-time dispensaries and longtime pot advocates will be frozen out once weed is legal. His brand of dispensaries - Cannabis Culture - opened at least three stores in Toronto, selling to anyone aged 19 and over. [continues 367 words]
Battling dispensaries like 'whack-a-mole' When it comes to shutting down marijuana dispensaries, Mark Sraga admits it's a bit like playing whack-a-mole. "It's still an ongoing challenge," said Sraga, director of investigative services for the City of Toronto. "Dispensaries open, dispensaries close." But his officers are seeing "better success" as they use city bylaws against illegal pot shops, he added. When the city began its crackdown in May - as the big green leaf signifying cannabis began frequently popping up on storefronts around the city - there were 48 stores open. [continues 290 words]
Activists want pot treated like beer, tobacco When the feds finally roll out their plan to legalize marijuana, advocates want to see home-grown weed treated like tobacco or alcohol. The Toronto Sun spoke with several cannabis advocates who cited the need for laws that allow people to grow pot at home - similar to those permitting the cultivating of tobacco or the brewing of beer for personal use. A federal task force now examining the best way to regulate and legalize recreational marijuana use is slated to complete its report in 2017. [continues 482 words]
Pot use is on the increase among adults. A recent U.S. study found that for the first time since at least 2002, middle-aged Americans are more likely to smoke marijuana than teens. And here in Ontario, Dr. Robert Mann, of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), says they're seeing more people over the age of 18 sparking up the green, as well. "We have seen marijuana use among older adults has been increasing over time," Mann added. [continues 256 words]
Drama erupted Friday morning inside and outside the latest Cannabis Culture store to open in Toronto. Around half a dozen Toronto Police officers were on site, according to Marc Emery - the so-called Prince of Pot is a well-known figure in Canada's marijuana industry and advocacy community. The presence of the officers prompted Emery to begin live-streaming on Facebook from inside the empty store, with the doors locked. "There's a siege going on essentially, there are police officers literally surrounding the building," he said, to reporters and camera people he let in at one point. [continues 91 words]
Emery Pot Shop Reopens Less than 24 hours after cops raided Cannabis Culture in Leslieville, the reefer retailer - that openly sells weed to anyone over age 19 - reopened its doors. Jodie Emery - who owns the Cannabis Culture brand - flew in from the West Coast to help reopen the shop, which is operated by another person. "We strive to keep minimal stock on site, so we make sure that there's not a huge amount to be seized," she said. "But it's absurd that these police raids continue to happen even though these businesses continue to open." [continues 135 words]
Cannabis Culture Reopens Day After Cop Raid Less than 24 hours after police raided Cannabis Culture in Leslieville, the marijuana shop that openly sells weed to anyone over age 19 reopened its doors. Jodie Emery, who owns the Cannabis Culture brand, said she flew in from the West Coast to help reopen the shop, which is operated by another person. "We strive to keep minimal stock on site, so we make sure that there's not a huge amount to be seized," she said. "But it's absurd that these police raids continue to happen even though these businesses continue to open." [continues 241 words]
Will stigma around marijuana use hang in the air after legalization? The Toronto Sun spoke with Deepak Anand, of the Canadian National Medical Marijuana Association, and Patricia Erickson, an adjunct professor of sociology at the University of Toronto, to get their thoughts on the subject: Q: Legalization will come as a major victory for advocates, but does that necessarily mean recreational use will lose its stigma? Anand: "No, I don't think in the immediate future that that's going to happen. I think marijuana has already lost a huge amount of stigma with medical use. [continues 373 words]
With the legalization of marijuana on the horizon, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada is preparing a new message for people who toke and drive. "Just saying no to people is not going to work," MADD Canada CEO Andrew Murie said. The advocacy group is working with Tweed Inc., a medical marijuana company based in Ontario, to conduct a three-year national campaign aimed at motorists. Here's what Murie told the Toronto Sun in a recent interview: Q: How is MADD Canada responding to pending legalization of marijuana? [continues 392 words]
Cops Will Get Powers to Deal With Drugs and Driving While many have concerns about legalized marijuana, alcohol is still the biggest problem among impaired drivers. "The reality is, drug is on the low side versus alcohol, which is on the high side," said Toronto Police Const. Clint Stibbe. Still, Toronto cops will soon have beefed up enforcement powers to deal with drug-impaired drivers. By this fall, police across Ontario will be able to penalize drug-impaired drivers in the same way they do with drunk drivers. [continues 335 words]
Cannabis Culture Refuses To Be Bullied By Police Raids Pot advocates remain defiant after last week's police raids of weed shops with one Toronto dispensary even vowing to sell marijuana for recreational purposes. Cannabis Culture, 801 Queen St. W., flung open its doors on Friday - one day after police targeted 43 medical marijuana dispensaries in Toronto. "We do not want to force people to be sick or to fake illness or to pay a doctor for permission to access cannabis," said Jodie Emery, a spokesman for the Cannabis Culture brand. [continues 347 words]
Pot Dispensaries Still Selling Marijuana Pot advocates remain defiant after last week's police raids of weed shops with one Toronto dispensary even vowing to sell marijuana for recreational purposes. Cannabis Culture, 801 Queen St. W., flung open its doors on Friday - one day after police targeted 43 medical marijuana dispensaries in Toronto. "We do not want to force people to be sick or to fake illness or to pay a doctor for permission to access cannabis," said Jodie Emery, a spokesman for the Cannabis Culture brand. [continues 335 words]
Will charges stick? With legal weed on the horizon, what happens to those facing criminal charges over pot during a period of time some call a grey area? We asked prominent Toronto criminal lawyer Edward Prutschi about this week's pot dispensary raids: Will the charges arising from the pot shop raids stick? PRUTSCHI: "Look, it can stick. As it stands today, marijuana is illegal. The only greyness comes from the fact that our federal government has indicated that within a year, the law is going to change. What it's going to change to, we don't know. [continues 326 words]
Giant bags of weed locked in police cruisers, young people in handcuffs inside dispensaries, signs that say "Closed" or "Closing." This was the very public face Thursday of Project Claudia - an effort by Toronto Police to crack down on stores selling medical marijuana over the counter. Police wouldn't say how many marijuana dispensaries were raided across the city over the lunch hour, how many people were arrested or the charges. Officers were seen at dispensaries on Queen St. W., in Kensington Market, and along the Danforth. [continues 377 words]
The crackdown on marijuana dispensaries has begun, but advocates of the storefronts are fuming they haven't been given a chance to be heard at City Hall. On Thursday, several pro-pot people - some rooting for medical marijuana patients, others for dispensary owners - were appalled when the city's licensing committee deferred discussion on marijuana dispensaries till the end of June. "If they're not going to allow us to speak on the issue, then they need to cease enforcement," said patient advocate Tracy Curley. [continues 239 words]
Hefty Fines On Way: Officials The grass soon won't look so green for Toronto's pot dispensaries. With at least 78 marijuana dispensaries operating in the city, bylaw officers will be hitting them with hefty fines for zoning bylaw violations by the end of the month, according to municipal officials. "In this case, because these types of activities and uses are not permitted, then yes, that would be the end goal, that these places are shut down," said Mark Sraga, Toronto's director of licensing and standards. [continues 446 words]
