Pubdate: Wed, 26 Feb 2014
Source: Now, The (Surrey, CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact:  http://www.thenownewspaper.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1462
Author: Christopher Poon

CITY BANS MEDICINAL POT PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION

WHITE ROCK - Anyone wishing to grow or distribute medical marijuana 
in White Rock is now out of luck following a move by council Monday.

Ahead of expected changes on the federal level to medicinal marijuana 
growing operations, White Rock council has effectively banned any 
production or distribution of the drug under any type of zoning in the city.

The move came just one month after a delegation of medicinal 
marijuana advocates approached council about backing local users. At 
that time one member of that delegation, David Hutchinson implored 
council to support local users by requesting support from other 
levels of government.

Hutchinson, who lives in South Surrey, became an advocate for medical 
marijuana when his teenaged daughter, Beth, began using it to treat 
her pain after she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. While Beth 
passed away this past fall, Hutchinson has continued to advocate on 
her behalf and expressed disappointment at council's decision.

"I think patients deserve reasonable access to medication and it is 
prescribed by doctors. So if a doctor believes (cannabis) is an 
appropriate medicine, people should be able to get it," he said. 
"White Rock seems to be just following the same format as they have 
in the past, they're being restrictive and we need new thinking. What 
Canada desperately needs is new thinking on this subject, not more of 
the same because what we're doing is not working for patients."

Another local advocate and patient, Joy Davies, urged council to 
strike down the prohibiting bylaw prior to their vote Monday night. 
Noting that concerns over fire hazards or criminal elements were 
negligible at best, Davies argued that the bylaw would only make it 
more difficult for local patients to access the drug.

"This is not progressive and this is not protecting those with ill 
health," she said. "Last year 1500 people died from Tylenol and every 
nine minutes somebody dies from pharmaceuticals. This time we ask you 
do nothing on zoning because we need large corporate medical 
marijuana growers. As a taxpayer and citizen of White Rock, don't see 
us as part of the problem, we want to be part of the solution."

Following Davies' comments, council voted unanimously to pass the 
bylaw, which was part of a set of omnibus bylaw zoning amendments.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom