PROTESTERS DECRY CLOSING OF COMPASSION CLUB

Some lit up bongs, some blasted Bob Marley songs and others waved
flags emblazoned with the marijuana leaf in an afternoon protest
yesterday against the shuttering of Cannabis as Living Medicine (CALM)
outside police headquarters.

On March 31, officers raided the Queen Street East offices of CALM, a
"compassion club" that sells marijuana to medicinal users, and charged
nine people with a variety of drug-related offences.

About 300 demonstrators gathered outside the College Street
headquarters yesterday to protest the closing and demand that Health
Canada make it easier for those with medical needs to access the drug.

"A lot of people need help from cannabis, but it's hard to get
high-quality cannabis," said Neev Tapiero, CALM's owner, adding the
clinic's users have rallied since the raid.

"Everyone's in great spirits; the community is behind us," he
said.

Police officers, standing behind security fences, lined the north and
south sides of the building and shut down part of the street. No
violence was reported.

The crowd was a mix, with dread-locked marijuana legalization
activists rubbing shoulders with sufferers of epilepsy and HIV, who
say the drug eases their conditions