Robert Celt
New Member
A new medical marijuana dispensary has opened it's doors in Dartmouth.
Monday was the first day of business for Tasty Budd's Compassion Club Inc., a wellness clinic located at 958 Cole Harbour Rd. According to owner Mal McMeekin, the dispensary makes it a lot easier for patients with medical marijuana prescriptions to get their medicine.
"We're providing patients with direct access," he said in an interview. "The way the system is set up now, medical marijuana patients have to order their medicine online or over the phone. They don't exactly know what they're getting, and they have to wait for it. But here, patients can touch, feel and smell our products and make sure it's right for them. We've got indicas, sativas, mixes, edibles and oils."
According to Health Canada regulations, medical marijuana patients can only purchase their weed from a federally licenced grower. But there are only 27 licenced growers in Canada today, and none of them are located in Nova Scotia.
McMeekin said Tasty Budd's operates in a "legal grey area," just like hundreds of other dispensaries across the country.
"We're going through all the steps that we can to make this as legal as possible," he said. "We only sell to medical patients with legitimate prescriptions from doctors, and of course nobody underage."
The grey area refers to where the marijuana at Tasty Budd's actually comes from. Joel Samson, a cancer survivor who's been using medical marijuana for seven years, said dispensaries like Tasty Budd's usually buy from growers who previously held personal medical marijuana production licenses.
But personal growing licences have been void since March 2014, when the new medical marijuana regulations came into effect.
"Technically speaking, dispensaries aren't allowed to sell marijuana to patients," said Samson, who stopped by Tasty Budd's Monday. "But the reason it's a grey area, and the reason more and more places like this are popping up around Canada, is because they fill a void in the system. The Supreme Court has said there needs to be reasonable access to medical marijuana for patients, but the current system just doesn't provide that."
Samson said dispensaries like Tasty Budd's allow patients like him to "take charge of their health."
"It's really important for people who need medical marijuana to have a place where they can access their medicine safely," he said. "In most cases, patients can't wait four or five days for their medicine to arrive in the mail. Professional places like this just make everything so much easier."
McMeekin said Tasty Budd's only offers top-quality herb from "trusted" sources in the area. The various strains cost between $5.50 and $9.50 per gram.
"We're trying to make sure we have the resources to help out every patient who comes in here," he said. "We're also hoping laws will be drafted that allow all patients to access our services legally. As long as we do what we're supposed to be doing and only sell to legitimate patients who need it, we should be okay."
He also said he's prepared to face the legal consequences of opening a dispensary, should it come to that. Farm Assist Cannabis Resource Centre, a Halifax business very similar to Tasty Budd's, was raided by police in December and the owner is facing a number of drug-related charges.
"We're ready to fight the fight," said McMeekin. "Before we opened we spoke to lawyers, police and government officials, and nobody has really opposed the business so far. We're here to help people, and as long as everyone can see that, hopefully we won't have any problems."
Cst. Mark Skinner, a spokesman for Nova Scotia RCMP, said police will only take action if Tasty Budd's violates any existing legislation.
"The RCMP works within the existing legislation under the Controlled Drugs & Substances Act. If we determine there's a violation of the legislation, we will take appropriate action."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Dartmouth's New Medical Marijuana Dispensary Opens Doors
Author: Staff
Contact: Herald News
Photo Credit: Herald News
Website: Herald News
Monday was the first day of business for Tasty Budd's Compassion Club Inc., a wellness clinic located at 958 Cole Harbour Rd. According to owner Mal McMeekin, the dispensary makes it a lot easier for patients with medical marijuana prescriptions to get their medicine.
"We're providing patients with direct access," he said in an interview. "The way the system is set up now, medical marijuana patients have to order their medicine online or over the phone. They don't exactly know what they're getting, and they have to wait for it. But here, patients can touch, feel and smell our products and make sure it's right for them. We've got indicas, sativas, mixes, edibles and oils."
According to Health Canada regulations, medical marijuana patients can only purchase their weed from a federally licenced grower. But there are only 27 licenced growers in Canada today, and none of them are located in Nova Scotia.
McMeekin said Tasty Budd's operates in a "legal grey area," just like hundreds of other dispensaries across the country.
"We're going through all the steps that we can to make this as legal as possible," he said. "We only sell to medical patients with legitimate prescriptions from doctors, and of course nobody underage."
The grey area refers to where the marijuana at Tasty Budd's actually comes from. Joel Samson, a cancer survivor who's been using medical marijuana for seven years, said dispensaries like Tasty Budd's usually buy from growers who previously held personal medical marijuana production licenses.
But personal growing licences have been void since March 2014, when the new medical marijuana regulations came into effect.
"Technically speaking, dispensaries aren't allowed to sell marijuana to patients," said Samson, who stopped by Tasty Budd's Monday. "But the reason it's a grey area, and the reason more and more places like this are popping up around Canada, is because they fill a void in the system. The Supreme Court has said there needs to be reasonable access to medical marijuana for patients, but the current system just doesn't provide that."
Samson said dispensaries like Tasty Budd's allow patients like him to "take charge of their health."
"It's really important for people who need medical marijuana to have a place where they can access their medicine safely," he said. "In most cases, patients can't wait four or five days for their medicine to arrive in the mail. Professional places like this just make everything so much easier."
McMeekin said Tasty Budd's only offers top-quality herb from "trusted" sources in the area. The various strains cost between $5.50 and $9.50 per gram.
"We're trying to make sure we have the resources to help out every patient who comes in here," he said. "We're also hoping laws will be drafted that allow all patients to access our services legally. As long as we do what we're supposed to be doing and only sell to legitimate patients who need it, we should be okay."
He also said he's prepared to face the legal consequences of opening a dispensary, should it come to that. Farm Assist Cannabis Resource Centre, a Halifax business very similar to Tasty Budd's, was raided by police in December and the owner is facing a number of drug-related charges.
"We're ready to fight the fight," said McMeekin. "Before we opened we spoke to lawyers, police and government officials, and nobody has really opposed the business so far. We're here to help people, and as long as everyone can see that, hopefully we won't have any problems."
Cst. Mark Skinner, a spokesman for Nova Scotia RCMP, said police will only take action if Tasty Budd's violates any existing legislation.
"The RCMP works within the existing legislation under the Controlled Drugs & Substances Act. If we determine there's a violation of the legislation, we will take appropriate action."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Dartmouth's New Medical Marijuana Dispensary Opens Doors
Author: Staff
Contact: Herald News
Photo Credit: Herald News
Website: Herald News
