Pubdate: Tue, 21 Jul 2015
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2015 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Aidan Geary
Page: A2

MARIJUANA DISPENSARY CHALLENGES LAW

Any unlicensed seller will be shut down, police say

After a week of turmoil, including two police visits to his shop and a
"smoke-in" outside Winnipeg police headquarters, the owner of
Manitoba's only medical cannabis dispensary has vowed to reopen today..

Glenn Price was first visited by police last Tuesday at his store,
Your Medical Cannabis Headquarters (1404 Main St.). He said he was
told to stop selling medical marijuana just two weeks after starting,
and although he halted sales for a few days, he promised to start up
again.

"I'm not going to go nowhere," Price said Monday. "I'm going to put my
neck out on the line for the people of Winnipeg that need medical cannabis."

When Price's store opens at 11 a.m. today, supporters said they will
form a human wall to prevent police from entering the premises.

On Monday, many met at police headquarters for a peaceful protest,
lighting up outside the Public Safety Building hoping to start a
conversation.

"We're not here to disrupt anything," Price said at the protest. "We
just want to be heard."

While he said he sells exclusively to prescription holding adults who
go through an assessment process with the shop, Price does not have a
licence from Health Canada to sell cannabis, meaning his operation is
illegal.

Since he started selling on July 1, Price said he has gained more than
200 customers. Without his dispensary, medical cannabis users in
Manitoba can only access the product via Health Canada-approved mail
order, which Price said can leave patients waiting for up to three
months. Price said he intends to conduct business as usual. "All I
know is I'm going to be there helping people who need help," he said.

At a news conference Monday, Winnipeg police spokesman Const. Jason
Micalyshen said he can't comment on individual cases, but police will
shut down those who try to sell cannabis without a proper licence.

"This is all about the health and safety of the public and making sure
marijuana that is being sold is controlled," Micalyshen said.

Asked if police would be open to meeting with Price, Micalyshen said
"I don't think anything's out of the realm of possibilities."

Steven Stairs, a Winnipeg medical cannabis user involved with the
Green party, organized Monday's protest and today's human wall event.
He said his goal was to bring awareness for Price's cause to police as
well as the public.

"History has shown that sometimes unjust laws need to be broken in a
public way to make the point for the social change," said Stairs. "The
discussion about what society needs to do regarding marijuana and
medical marijuana needs to be had now."
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MAP posted-by: Matt