Pubdate: Thu, 06 Aug 2015
Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)
Copyright: 2015 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.winnipegsun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.winnipegsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503
Author: Jim Bender
Page: 4

'THEY TOOK EVERYTHING'

Charges shut down Manitoba's first medical marijuana dispensary

Medical marijuana dispensary owner Glenn Price is vowing to fight his
drug trafficking charges in court.

Police raided Your Medical Cannabis Headquarters and closed it down on
Tuesday. They arrested Price, his wife Sandra, and a customer. Only
Price was charged.

"It was determined that the owner was operating an illegal drug
trafficking business, which was held out to be a medical marijuana
dispensary," police said in a release issued Wednesday.

Police seized about two pounds of marijuana and drug paraphernalia
from his business and about two ounces of marijuana from his
residence. Price, 54, was also in possession of an undisclosed amount
of cash.

As a result, Price has been charged with: trafficking a scheduled
substance; possession of a scheduled substance for the purpose of
trafficking; possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime; and
possession of a scheduled substance. He was released 12 hours after
the raid.

Price has hired Kirk Tousaw, a Vancouver lawyer who recently won a
landmark medical cannabis case in the Supreme Court, to represent him.

"He's represented everyone who has had anything to do with medical
cannabis ever," Price said Wednesday.

Upon his release, Price was forced to sign a document saying that he
cannot use medical marijuana himself - "until I get signed up properly."

His family was shaken up by Tuesday's ordeal.

"I told (police) that I'm the only one responsible, then they chose to
harass my wife for seven hours," he said. "Then they released her
without charging her. That's intimidation.

"My marriage is probably over now because of this."

A go fund me page will be started to help Price cover costs and a
Vancouver dispensary has already donated money. Retired police officer
Bill VanderGraaf has also said he would plan a fundraising social for
Price, who has lost his entire business.

"I'm broke," Price said. "All my money went into the business and the
police just closed my business down. They took everything but my
lighters and 'Support Trudeau' poster."

Price pointed out that he registered his business legally and told the
city what he was doing.

"If there was a problem, they never should have given me that permit,"
he said. "If they can do this here, they're gonna do it right across
Canada. If all dispensaries were closed down, there would be a
shortage of (medical marijuana) for everyone."

But Price plans to back away from the dispensary business for
now.

"I will try to guide my patients to get their medical cannabis from
elsewhere because I don't want to leave them high and dry," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Matt