Good Weeds Lounge at 940 Danforth Ave in Toronto has been raided by police, after opening just four weeks ago.
Operators Erin Goodwin and Chris Goodwin have reportedly been taken into custody at the 54 Division station.
Don Briere co-owns Good Weeds, along with several other dispensaries across the country, and said he’s still waiting for more information after the pair were taken into custody several hours ago during a raid by the drug squad.
“We’ve got people looking at getting them out with a lawyer as soon as possible,” said Briere.
Briere said he’s not sure why the shop was targeted by authorities, who have previously taken a hands off approach to the city’s dispensaries, saying they don’t have the resources to police all cannabis activity.
“It usually only takes one complaint,” said Briere. “You could have a hundred police officers walk by but as soon as they get a complaint with ‘Hi, this is my name and this is my phone number and I’m filing a compliant’ they have to act upon it.”
On Facebook, Jamie McConnell posted that he was at Good Weeds when a dozen police officers entered the shop, placing handcuffs on himself, the Goodwins and three others.
McConnell said all customers were questioned and released and he was also let go when authorities were told he didn’t work there.
Briere said the business has had its windows papered over by police, who have also disabled the store’s live camera feed. To his knowledge, the store has no hidden camera back-up to monitor what authorities are doing in the shop.
“We thought the pot drug war was over, but apparently they want to continue wasting our money while our children are being attacked by pedophiles and violent people are out there,” said Briere. “Why are they selectively assaulting and terrorizing and holding these people in double-maximum isolation compounds for cannabis? This is bullshit.”
Briere said operations like Good Weeds provide a service to patients that need cannabis to live.
“Where are sick people supposed to go smoke their stuff, in school grounds, in parks, out in the street? We gave them a safe alternative to consume their cannabis,” he said.
Briere said he was surprised the raid took place and doesn’t know if this signals a shift in attitude from the city’s police.
“What’s the matter with these guys? The police are telling us they want to raid us, I wonder why — we’d like an answer to that,” Briere said. “We’ve voted in a government in October of last year that’s stated completely and totally that they were moving towards legalization.”
“It’s criminal misuse of public resources.”
Police said the Goodwins were charged with possession with the purpose to traffic and possession of proceeds from crime. Erin Goodwin was charged with possession.
Constable Caroline de Kloet said the raid was triggered by “community complaints.”
Watch our interview with Don Briere on Cannabis in Canada LIVE here.
