Speakers Tackle Medical Marijuana Issue At Forum

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Current drug enforcement laws and a government system for the provision of medical marijuana are failing Canadians, residents heard from an expert panel last week.

Rielle Capler, of the Centre for Addiction Research B.C., and Tony Smith, from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, presented information about medical marijuana, regulations governing it, and problems within the current legal system to the crowd of over 40 people ranging in age from 20 through 80 at the Thursday, June 18 meeting. The forum was hosted by the city at a cost $1,100. Capler spoke about the use of medical marijuana in treatment of symptoms related to specific conditions, methods of use and possible harms before delving into the current regulatory process for legal access to medical marijuana and the development of compassion clubs as a response to gaps in the current system.

" The regulations are unconstitutional, and there are too many barriers," said Capler. "The ( marijuana available through the government program ) is marked up 1,500 per cent, they mark it up after paying for it to be grown, and people who are sick have to pay for it. Some people pay up to $500 a month for their medicine."

Smith stayed focused on the overall lack of success in the existing drug enforcement programs. Smith retired after 28 years on the police force, spending much of his time working in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. He says that 90 per cent of crime is done by addicts while only one to three per cent of the population is addicted. With a cost of over $2.5 billion annually, drug enforcement is still not winning, said Smith. City Councillor Joy Davies, who initiated the forum says the fight for change must come from the local level. Davies called on the community to make their support for change heard at city council prior to their next meeting, on June 29 where the vote to move a motion forward to the provincial municipalities meeting in the fall.

"If you, the local population, are sincere that you want the local politicians - and I believe it has to be the grassroots politicians up to the provincial and federal - to organize and work together you have to make your voice heard," said Davies. "Council said they want the community to tell them that you want this vote to go down to Vancouver. If you want to get political, this is political."

While people inside continued to ask questions, a Vancouver businessman Sam Mellace, addressed people outside the doors. Mellace says that marijuana helped him as he battled leukemia. As a permitted user, Mellace wants to see legal sources of marijuana which he says compassion clubs are not. "There is a big difference between compassion and the law," said Mellace. My idea and concept is to open up viable medical clinics and also supply the marijuana. If I can get people to grow the supply wouldn't that be an economic boost?"


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Source: Grand Forks Gazette (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Sterling Newspapers
Contact: editor@grandforksgazette.ca
Author: Mona Mattei