Pubdate: Tue, 10 Feb 2015 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Author: Scott Bailey Page: A16 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v15/n074/a04.html CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL POT DISPENSARIES Re: Dispensaries can't get product legally, Feb. 3 This article further perpetuates the myth that patients and others looking to medical marijuana are forced to use unregulated and illegal dispensaries because a lack of access or "government regulations." It is simply false. Health Canada provides clear guidelines for obtaining medical marijuana through a licensed physician (LP). There are over 20 licensed and strictly regulated producers of medical marijuana in Canada that provide the highest quality of marijuana. Illegal dispensaries provide bogus prescription cards to patients that mislead them to believe they a have legal prescriptions to transport and possess marijuana. If they were stopped by the police outside of Vancouver they would be breaking the law. In addition, these dispensaries have naturopaths and other "doctors" give phoney prescriptions to unsuspecting patients. They are illegal and buy from organized crime and the assertion that they are innocent on any level is preposterous. Vancouver has allowed criminal organizations to blatantly run storefront outlets for drugs in the city. No other place in Canada allows such criminal activity. The suggestion that they do this for anything other than tax-free profit is naive. Scott Bailey Vancouver - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom