Toronto police raid storefront pot shops suspected of trafficking

Raidsonstorefrontpot dispensaries in Torontowhere policebelieve marijuana is being sold illegally are being called "ridiculous" by some critics.

"I guess we're all going back to the street to get our pot," said one man who identified himself to CBC News as John.

Hesaid he came to CALM's dispensary on Church Street in downtown Toronto "to get mymeds, but unfortunately the police have broken down the door and told me they were out of business.

"It's going to be legalized in a year, it'skindofridiculous this is happening," added John, whotold CBC he's had a medical marijuana licence for eight years and uses pot to relieve pain from two hip replacements and arthritis in his knee.

Officers from thedrug squad, working with the city's municipal licensing andstandards investigation bureau,began executing the warrantsat noon ET, police spokesmanConst. CraigBristersaid.

"We're looking at locations that are identified as trafficking in marijuana outside of the marijuana for medical purposes regulations," said Brister. "If people are legally using it, then they have nothing to worry about."

He added that the dispensaries targeted in Thursday's raids are the same ones whose landlordswere provided with a letter of cautionon May 18.

"This investigation has been going on for a while," Brister said.

Toronto police execute search warrants at Kensington pot shops

8 years ago

Duration 0:29

Toronto police execute search warrants at Kensington Market pot shops.

Police called the operation "Project Claudia," but Bristerdidn't explain the significance of the name.

The hashtag#ProjectClaudiabegan trending in Toronto late Thursday afternoon, and many onTwitter called the raids a waste of police resources.

Chief Mark Saunders responded with a tweet Thursday afternoon.

Brister said police will release information about arrests or charges ata news conference to be held at 10:30 a.m. ET Friday.

He declined tospecify how many shops were targeted in the operation, their addresses or in which neighbourhoods they are located.

Richard Arfin and Barbara Allenwere having tea near the Carrot Common on Danforth Avenuewhen they sawofficers"bash in" the doors of three dispensaries across the street.

"They clearly had a plan and were really prepared, it was very much like a TV show," Arfintold CBC News. "People were walking by with their strollers and nobody was really bothered."

Arfin said he doesn't want his neighbourhood to become "pot central" and disliked "the idea of there being three or four stores within stone's throw of one another."

"This is a family neighbourhood," he said.

Allen echoedToronto Mayor John Tory's sentiment that "medicalmarijuana dispensaries are verging on being out of control," and he expected the raids to happen.

"I have tremendous sympathy for people who need to use medical marijuana, but this feels like it's going beyond that. Somewhere, boundaries have to be drawn," she said.

Tory declined to comment on the investigation.

Tammy Robbinson, spokeswomanfor the city, saidmunicipal standards officers issued charges Thursday against the business owners and operators of the dispensariesfor zoning bylaw contraventions, along with other municipal bylaw charges.

Zoning bylaws permit only the distribution of medical marijuana from a production facility that has been licensed by Health Canada as a licensed producer.

Robbinsonsaid any business that is distributing or selling medical marijuana, other than a licensed producer or health care practitioner, is in violation of the city's zoning bylaw.

Earlier this month, thecity's municipal licensing and standards departmentissued notices to 78 property owners out of a known83 medicalmarijuana dispensaries.The notices said the dispensaries were contravening the city's zoning bylaw.