Pubdate: Wed, 08 Feb 2006
Source: Monday Magazine (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Monday Publications
Contact:  http://www.mondaymag.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1150
Author: Andrew MacLeod
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)

COUNCIL'S CANNABIS CONFAB CANCELLED-SORT OF

It took two years for Victoria's city council to set up a meeting 
with Health Canada about medical marijuana, but it would seem the 
federal agency balked when the city said the meeting had to be open 
to the public.

The public meeting was scheduled for the end of January before it was 
cancelled. "Due to the fact that the meeting was going to be public, 
that was an issue," says mayor Alan Lowe. Apparently, there were 
"certain proponents" the agency didn't want at the meeting, as it is 
currently fighting those individuals in court cases.

And who might those "certain proponents" be? One might be inclined to 
guess Health Canada was hoping to avoid an awkward meeting with 
Philippe Lucas, who ran for city council as a Green and is currently 
on vacation in Mexico (so they needn't worry about him). Lucas is the 
director of the Vancouver Island Compassion Society, which 
distributes medical marijuana, and a founder and director of the 
lobby group Canadians for Safe Access. He has a long-running dispute 
with Health Canada around whether or not the agency can be relied on 
to supply cannabis to patients or to even listen to their needs.

But in case you're thinking the city council stood on principle, 
arguing in the name of accessibility that the meeting should be open 
to everyone, that doesn't appear to be what happened. Asked why they 
didn't just meet in private with the feds, mayor Lowe says, "We 
can't. We're not allowed under the legislation."

That's right, as soon as there are five councillors in a room for a 
meeting, it counts as a council meeting and can't be closed unless 
there's a financial or legal matter to discuss. The business with 
Health Canada doesn't qualify. But don't worry, there's a way around 
the inconvenience of being required to have open meetings. Says Lowe: 
"We're going to try to have staff meet with them in the near future."

We're left wondering what the mayor has been smoking: Health Canada 
spokesperson Chris Williams says the meeting did actually happen, 
with senior city officials-but not councillors-on February 1. His 
explanation for moving the meeting also differs from Lowe's. He says 
it was because of the federal election.

So put that in your pipe and smoke it.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman