Pubdate: Sun, 26 Aug 2001 Source: Kamloops This Week (CN BC) Copyright: 2001 Kamloops This Week Contact: http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1271 COMPASSION CLUB COMING A compassion club for providing marijuana for medical use is expected to open in Kamloops next month. Julian Gushulak says he is proceeding with the project, one of an anticipated 10 clubs the British Columbia Marijuana party will open in the province. Gushulak, who attended a workshop on the program yesterday, says he's working on membership applications, looking for a location and dealing with other administrative requirements. Michelle Rainey-Fenkark, party deputy financial agent, conducted the workshop and says the goal is to get clubs on the Coast operating first. Other clubs are targetted for Nanaimo, Kelowna, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Fort St. John, Revelstoke, Chilliwack and Quesnel. Rainey-Fenkark, who has Crohn's disease and smokes marijuana to deal with its pain and other side-effects, says the party decided to open the clubs before the federal government brought regulations into place to administer medical marijuana. "We're just going ahead with it. We aren't worrying about the regulations. We had a workshop three weeks ago on how to open a club and we're promoting it to get people on the bandwagon." Rainey-Fenkark, who is also party president Marc Emery's executive assistant, credits him for giving her "the courage to come out into the open." Rainey-Fenkark says she has used marijuana for years surreptitiously to deal with her disease, which is not in the illnessess approved by the federal government for medical marijuana use. She campaigns to have Crohn's and other debilitating illnesses included in the program, which now is limited to AIDS/HIV, multiple sclerosis, severe forms of arthritis, epilepsy cancer and spinal cord injury or disease. The clubs are able to subsidize the drug through bulk buying. Emery has encouraged clubs to buy from local growers where possible to keep prices down. He adds the clubs will approve treatments with doctors and inspect growing operations. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart