Charges stayed against pot club volunteers

Katie Daubs, The Star [Toronto]

 

Trafficking charges against eight volunteer staff members of a Queen St. compassion club were stayed this morning.

 

CALM, which was raided on March 31st, sells medical marijuana to patients suffering from chronic diseases, including HIV.

 

Club owner Neev Tapiero still faces trafficking charges.

 

“This is a big win for the cause,” said lawyer Ron Marzel. “It’s also the right thing to do. If the government takes issue with a compassion club they should have that fight with Neev.”

 

Tapiero said he feels confident about the case and sees the stayed charges as a sign that the crown’s case is weak.

 

Amy Brown, who saw her charges stayed on Monday, was ecstatic.

 

“I had this perma-grin, I couldn’t get off my face,” she said.

 

Brown, who suffers from chronic pain, said the charges stopped her from travelling.

 

“It’s a big day. We knew what we were doing wasn’t wrong,” she said.

 

After the raid in March, Marzel said police were well aware CALM distributes marijuana for medical purposes only, and said he was “appalled” by the police action.

 

“Organizations like this have existed for a long time. It’s not a surprise to the police force that these organizations exist, “Marzel said, adding CALM is actively lobbying for clearance from Health Canada to sell medical marijuana. “This is a totally inappropriate response.”

 

Tapiero said this is the first time police have raided CALM since it was established in 1996.

 

About 10 per cent of the club’s 3,000 registered members have federally issued cards permitting them to possess medical marijuana. The rest have written approval from a doctor, chiropractor or naturopath, Tapiero said.

 

According to a police document obtained by the Star, charges include possession for the purpose of trafficking. Police seized 16,589 grams of marijuana, 1,940 grams of hashish, 207 grams of hash oil and a quantity of cash.