Canada raids marijuana dispensaries across Toronto

In a raid named “Project Claudia”, the Toronto Police Department raided dispensaries across the city, seizing marijuana infused products such as chocolate, cookies and other edibles, as well as dried marijuana, resin, hash and pills. This comes at a time when there is huge support in Canada for medical marijuana, and full legalization for cannabis is under discussion.

Around ninety people were arrested and 186 faced charges after 43 cannabis shops were searched. How do Canadians feel about this? Mostly with anger, denouncing the move as a waste of money, especially with full legalization and regulation on the cards.

The rationale behind the move was apparently to keep pot out of the hands of children and deny criminals the profits of illicit dealing.

This is what some Canadians tweeted about the raid:

“Thanks Toronto, for keeping us safe from plants”

“Someone, please explain how Project Claudia ISN’T a huge waste of police resources. Serious problems in Toronto and this isn’t one of them”

“Look at these proud heroes. Keeping our city safe from plants”

“Project Claudia is a waste of taxpayer’s money”

“A big leap backwards”

“I guess I’ll just go back to buying my weed on the streets, then”

“Please, yes, shut down the places that are helping so many people with chronic pain. What fun”

“We elect a government in November 2015 who will legalize pot, then arrest people for it in May 2016?”

Canada’s Liberal Party government will introduce a law next year to legalize recreational marijuana. However, Canada’s Health Minister, Jane Philpott did not detail who would be allowed to grow or distribute cannabis products.

The current law in Canada prohibits the selling of marijuana for recreational purposes, but it is legal to do so for medical reasons. Only patients with prescriptions can get medical marijuana and it can only be supplied by a small number of companies authorized to do so, and it has to be mailed or delivered by courier to the patients concerned.

Sources:

https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ProjectClaudia

http://torontopolice.on.ca/newsreleases/34909

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/ottawa-is-to-blame-for-canadians-confusion-over-marijuana/article30193023/