BREAKING NEWS: Quebec Police RAID all Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in Quebec

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Beyond Prohibition Foundation

June 3, 2010

 

Quebec Police today conducted raids every medical marijuana dispensary in Quebec. Confirmation of police raids from Montreal Compassion Centre, the oldest dispensary in Quebec, as well as the other 2 clubs, Montreal Compassion Club and Quebec (City) Compassion Centre. This followed last months police raids of medical marijuana dispensaries in Toronto and Guelph. Legitimate Dispensaries in Canada use the same strict protocols to ensure only legitimate medical marijuana users access their services.

 

"These are sick and dying people, patients, whose only relief is from medical marijuana. Why on earth would Quebec police act so callously?" said Jacob Hunter, Policy Director of the Beyond Prohibition Foundation, "Courts have ruled these patients have a right to access medical marijuana, a right Health Canada ignores for hundreds of thousands of Canadians. These Dispensaries serve the thousands of patients unable to access Health Canada's byzantine system, and most importantly, the courts have acknowledged this fact"

 

Since Health Canada established it's medical marijuana program, 4 different courts have ruled parts of it unconstitutional for limiting access. In the most recent cases, changed ordered to the number of patients to producers (originally 2:1) and producers to location (originally 3:1) were met by Health Canada with the absolute minimum change possible, 2:1 became 3:1 and 3:1 became 4:1. This consistently bad-faith compliance with court orders on the part of Health Canada is partially why Medical Marijuana Dispensaries have been found to be legal in court.

 

"It's unconciounable to force critically and chronically Quebecers onto the streets to obtain medicine, today's police raids represent yet another gift by police to organized crime, in the form of at least 10,000 new customers. The tragic irony, is that in the name of combating 'crime' the police are ensuring that street dealers and those that control them will profit immensely at the expense of the sick and dying." said Kirk Tousaw, Executive Director of the Beyond Prohibition Foundation, "The only saving grace is that S-10, the Conservatives Mandatory Minimum punishment agenda, has not been implemented, because otherwise, these brave, compassionate caregivers would be facing a mandatory year in a cage, for helping these ill and suffering Canadians".