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Simpson said she’s helping people, and she’s willing to face the consequences. “The more people stand up for what they believe in, the more educated people will become (about cannabis).

“If I were going to prison for the rest of my life, I might have second thoughts.”

Nine employees working at the raided dispensaries have been charged, police confirmed Monday, although they declined to say what the charges were. Last week they said charges could include possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of the proceeds of crime.

The dispensaries that remain cater to medical patients, but they are still illegal. Their operators are hoping for leniency from police and the courts, and support from the public as debate rages over what to do about dispensaries.

Dr. Marc Engfield, a physician who specializes in pain management, said he has referred patients to dispensaries because they offer products that growers licensed by Health Canada aren’t allowed to sell, such as cannabis cream. “For me as a medical professional who’s trying to guide patients to a solution, the issue is one of access.”

There is a wide range of quality and business practices among dispensaries, he said.

“Although I definitely disapprove of dispensaries that are poorly run, that operate as fronts for drug dealers or are otherwise unethical operations, I also feel that dispensaries fill a real need in the world of medical marijuana.”

For legal medical marijuana suppliers such as Tweed Inc. in Smiths Falls, which must meet stringent security and health regulations, the pot shops are unwelcome.

“While Tweed supports patient access through retail storefronts, we strongly believe that patients deserve a regulated and controlled system for the production and distribution of cannabis,” said Mark Zekulin, president of Tweed, in a statement. “The raids that took place last week in Ottawa are a reminder that dispensaries are completely unregulated, and remain part of the black market.”