Pubdate: Mon, 27 Apr 2015 Source: Metro (Vancouver, CN BC) Copyright: 2015 Metro Canada Contact: http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3775 Author: Trish Kelly Page: 12 FEDS SHOULD GET OFF THEIR HIGH HORSE OVER DRUG USE Rona Ambrose doesn't want Vancouver to discuss regulating medical marijuana dispensaries at Tuesday's city council meeting - as she made eminently clear in a stern letter to Vancouver's Mayor Robertson, who may have paused to wonder what the honourable health minister may have been smoking when she wrote it. We shouldn't be surprised the federal government wants to harsh Vancouver's mellow. The Conservatives have been against Vancouver's progressive drug policies since Insite - North America's first safe-injection site - opened 10 years ago. But that didn't stop us from continuing the fight and becoming international leaders in saving lives through a harm-reduction model. The federal government has been too busy (possibly watching Reefer Madness) to address the logistical issues created by their halfway legalization of medical marijuana, so the city should step in and regulate. Make no mistake, the more than 80 unlicensed dispensaries currently operating in Vancouver are not just playing nice of their own accord; someone is regulating them, and it's not any level of government. It's happening underground, conducted by organized crime. I am not a pot smoker. I actually find most stoned people pretty annoying and I don't have the activity level to support frequent snacking. I hope I never need medical marijuana, but a recent stint with back pain made me more sympathetic to the demand for it. After Day 5 of constant pain, if I'd been offered a lit bong full of puppy tears, I would have smoked it. My sympathy for sufferers of chronic pain aside, please believe how little personal investment I have in seeing leniency for this controlled substance. But, like the City of Vancouver, I can be practical and acknowledge that there is a need for this kind of service, and that the best way to remove the risk and criminal influence is to impose government regulation. Vancouver has done its homework. On Tuesday night, city council will hear a 28-page report prepared by city staff who consulted with Vancouver School Board, Vancouver Coastal Health and Vancouver Police Department. They've gathered best practices from other jurisdictions like Washington and Colorado, where marijuana was legalized for recreational use - without the sky falling. The staff recommendations include a hefty licensing fee, buffer zones around schools and community centres, and annual criminal record checks for owners and employees. The federal government loves to offload responsibilities to municipal governments when it's convenient. This is one case where cities can beat the feds just by being first to get off their high horse. The reward is a handsome revenue stream and the respect of realists. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt