On October 26, 2017, police in riot gear descended on an illicit pot store in Toronto’s King St. W neighbourhood. Police were responding to a call that said a man with a gun was inside the cannabis dispensary, closing the street to traffic for several hours. 

The call was later determined to be a hoax—the store was empty and a man was arrested about a week later for the hoax. 

As a crowd gathered outside the store to see what all the fuss was about, Constable Allyson Douglas-Cook, a Media Relations Officer with the Toronto Police Service, explained the situation. There was no person with a gun in the store, explained Douglas-Cook, and the situation was safe. 

A local journalist, Eric Mark Do, caught the moment, including when an unknown bystander in glasses and a Chicago Bulls hat caused Constable Douglas-Cook to crack a smile by asking “Am I allowed to go and grip a twenty sack now?”, cementing the moment in Canadian cannabis history. 

The location that formerly held the 365 Cannabis dispensary, 365 King St W, Toronto, is now home to fully-licensed retailer Rosebud Cannabis. Prior to 365 Cannabis, the location was also briefly home to a Cannabis Culture store for about two months in the fall of 2016 before being closed by police.