Pubdate: Wed, 12 Mar 2014
Source: Peace Arch News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 Peace Arch News
Contact:  http://www.peacearchnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1333
Author: Joy Davies

'GANG' MENTALITY HURTS US PATIENTS

Editor:

Re: Council defers medical-marijuana vote, March 4.

To clarify my representation to council, I am a spokesperson for the
Canadian Medical Cannabis Partners (CMCP), a national patient-driven
society.

A majority of licensed patients and caregivers are afraid to speak out
at council for fear that they may betray them to the police, border
guards and fire department, and face shunning, harassment and
persecution.

While serving on city council in Grand Forks in 2009, I presented a
resolution to decentralize the Medical Marijuana Access Regulations
(MMAR) to the provinces. It went on to pass in 2010 at the municipal
delegates of B.C., and in 2011 FCM Canada endorsed Resolution B146 to
"decentralize the MMAR to the provinces."

In 2013, the BC Liberal party stated that if re-elected they would
consult with the various stakeholders before the federal regulations
were placed. To date, that has not happened, while the federal changes
date is drawing near.

CMCP advocates for the province to honour their word and consult with
municipalities, health professionals, caregivers and patients - like
the veterans without a leg who uses cannabis tea for pain; or the MS
patient living in a scooter using vaporizers; or many palliative patients.

Current staff and councils need to do their homework with current
objective comparative analysis on how the lack of proper government
regulation has caused the problems, not the patients who grow.

There's a disconnect to be bridged by governments.

Most elected officials are caring members of their community, yet
suffer from cognitive dissonance with regard to this marijuana
cannabis plant. City councils appear to have been given selective
alarmist old information from the gang-sector grow-op
perspective.

Facing 80 years of U.S. 'big pharma'-driven propaganda for the purpose
of corporate profit needs to be overcome. We, the patients, are doing
our best to provide "the other side of the story" to make this happen.

The CMCP are asking our municipalities to defer the grow bylaw that
arrived via one 1993-2001 Surrey fire chief's gang grow-op experience.
We ask that council simply ask the province to strike a task force on
medical cannabis to set realistic parameters for a provincial
medical-cannabis program that brings municipalities, stakeholders and
patients to the decision-making table to design a dignified,
affordable access program.

Patients do not make grow ops; gangs do. We need a few window-sill or
backyard medical-cannabis plants with the parsley, thyme and herbs.

Joy Davies, White Rock
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MAP posted-by: Matt