TORONTO CLUB HAD 'NO LEGAL AUTHORITY' TO PROVIDE MARIJUANA, PLANS PROTEST

A "compassion club" raided and picked clean by Toronto police last
week has reopened - but is selling only politics, not marijuana.

Neev Tapiero, owner of Cannabis As Living Medicine, said his club's
current goal is to spread the word about a protest this Sunday
outside police headquarters over the government's medical marijuana
regulations.

"Health Canada's poorly run program ... results in thousands of
people's rights being denied," he said.

Plainclothes Toronto police officers raided the club on March 31
after receiving complaints of alleged drug offences. They seized more
than 16,000 grams of marijuana, 1,940 grams of hash and 207 grams of hash oil.

Tapiero and eight volunteers were charged.

"When (police) conducted their investigation, they realized (CALM)
didn't have a licence to dispense drugs. Technically, that's
illegal," police spokesman Constable Tony Vella said.

Health Canada spokesman Philippe Laroche said in an email that
"compassion clubs are unregulated and have always operated outside
Canadian laws. These clubs have no legal authority to provide or to
produce marijuana."

Tapiero said he has applied several times to Health Canada for such a
licence, but one covering the dispensing of medical marijuana does
not exist. Currently, those who qualify for a licence, including
sufferers of chronic pain, can get licences to grow or possess
marijuana, or they can designate someone to grow it for them.

Ron Marzel, CALM's lawyer, said compassion clubs are usually run by
those who have licences to possess marijuana.

"They've peacefully coexisted with the police," he said.