Cannabis community calls for greater co-operation with police

Members of Toronto’s cannabis community are speaking out after a number of robberies at marijuana dispensaries across the city.

On Monday, Toronto police announced that nine robberies took place last year at pot shops across the city and in the first month of 2017 there have already been four robberies.

Authorities are concerned because several of the robberies were not reported by the businesses but rather by customers and passersby.

Tania Cyalume, co-owner of Queens of Cannabis, said that when an attempted robbery took place at their store, staff were quick to contact police. She hopes other stores will do the same but also encourages more understanding and co-operation from Toronto police.

“We encourage all dispensaries to call in dangerous situations,” she said. “We also hope that the police continue to respect that patients can’t currently access some of the (edibles) and oil available at dispensaries. This is their only source of access.”

In two of the most recent incidents, the suspects were armed with firearms and in one case, the suspect was armed with a knife. In another robbery, a shot was fired. Two of the robberies were not reported by the owners.

Toronto police Supt. Bryce Evans said the “multiple kilos” of pot held in these dispensaries, as well as money, edibles, and cannabis resin, are enough to make the stores a big target.

“During these […] robberies, employees and customers have been stabbed, pistol-whipped and pepper-sprayed. There is no doubt that the employees and customers have been traumatized by these violent armed robberies,” Evans said.

Last May, Toronto police began to crack down on the dozens of illegal marijuana shops that have popped up throughout the city. During that operation — dubbed Project Claudia — police raided 43 shops and arrested 90 business owners and employees.

Since then, police said they’ve conducted a further 33 raids — about one a week — since June.

Lisa Campbell with the Cannabis Friendly Business Association, said it isn’t the product that makes their stores targets for robbers but the continued prohibition of marijuana and police raids.

“Police raids encourage robberies, which are preventable through regulation,” she said. “Instead of wasting taxpayer dollars, we should be licensing these businesses so that they can be included in legalization and feel comfortable calling law enforcement when they experience problems in their communities.”

Marijuana dispensaries are still illegal, despite a promise from the federal Liberals to legalize marijuana. Currently, licensed medical marijuana producers can sell to patients with a prescription through the mail.

“Our communities have suffered from violence from prohibition for too long, which is why last spring we called the city of Toronto to regulate cannabis businesses in Toronto,” said Campbell.

“We want to move forward with this licensing but instead we’re met with continued raids and very little community consultation.”

The group is hoping both police and cannabis dispensaries can work together as legislation is expected later this year on the legalization of marijuana.

They say that the press conference on Monday “opened the door between cannabis businesses and Toronto police services.”

With files from The Canadian Press

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