[URBAN NOTE] "Toronto Police try to convince us marijuana dispensaries are dangerous"

[rfmcdonald]

Michelle da Silva and Kate Robertson of NOW Toronto report on the unconvincing arguments of Toronto police that the marijuana dispensaries were dangerous.

No one is coming from this looking good, not the dispensaries that opened while their key product was illegal, not the police that mounted the raids.

Reason #1: Because they’re not licenced to sell what they sell.

“We have to have environments where it is regulated, properly by the government so that there is a standard, not just an ad hoc, ‘I think i’ll just open a shop and go by my own rules,’” Saunders said today. “You can’t do that.”

But isn’t that why so many medpot activists and dispensary owners were eager to speak to the issue at the May 19 Licensing and Standards Committee meeting that was deferred to be held on June 27? Should the City not take some responsibility for their snail-paced approach to regulating the industry?

Reason #2: Because there are serious health and safety concerns.

“There is no quality control whatsoever on these products and, as you can see, they’re marketed in a way to disguise the unknown and unregulated amount of THC in the products,” Saunders said today. But at least some of the products on display were reportedly bought at Bulk Barn and intended to demonstrate that they are similar to edible cannabis products.

But many of the products shown at the press conference – like this Twisted Extracts’ Jelly Bomb (a fruit-flavoured edible in the shape of a Lego piece, with each dot representing one dose) – do clearly outline THC levels and recommended doses. In fact, many edible cannabis products do. To suggest that dispensaries are filled with unlabelled goods that look exactly like treats for kids is misleading.