Pubdate: Fri, 21 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: David Larkin
Page: 3

BUMMED OUT

Marijuana Dispenser Feels Villainized, Victimized by Justice System

The man who ran Winnipeg's only medical marijuana dispensary before 
being arrested earlier this month made his first court appearance 
Thursday and said police have seized "everything I had."

Your Medical Cannabis Services owner Glenn Price made a brief 
appearance without legal representation in a Winnipeg courtroom 
Thursday afternoon and, outside the Law Courts building, told 
reporters his best intentions of helping Winnipeggers has resulted in 
the justice system labelling him a villain.

"Everybody says I'm a criminal, (but) I want to give back to the 
community," he said. "I opened this shop to give back to the 
community, not to put money in my pocket. If I wanted to do that, I'd 
be standing on that corner selling pot to everybody."

Price opened his medical cannabis dispensary in July and said he 
amassed 700 patients in that time, patients, he said, are now without 
the marijuana they smoke to treat their ailments.

"I find myself in between crops and unable to supply my own medicine 
and Glenn was the only option that I had, and now I don't have that 
option," said Mike Mailman, who said he suffers from Chron's and chronic pain.

"I've been trying (traditional medicine) since I was 15, I'm 30 years 
old now. I've found nothing that works for me other than cannabis."

Donna Johannson is a Winnipegger who now lives in B.C., and came to 
court to support Price, whom she had not met before.

"I just really wanted to support Glenn and what he's doing here," she 
said. "I hope that they are able to open and that the doors are open 
for other dispensaries to operate in the city."

While Price's court appearance was fairly mundane, local marijuana 
activist Steven Stairs was infuriated after not being allowed into 
the building. Stairs, who suffers from glaucoma, said security denied 
him entrance because he had a bong and vaporizer, despite him having 
documentation. He said security had issues with the bong, but not the 
vaporizer.

"I'm extremely frustrated," Stairs said. "As a disabled person 
already, I'm marginalized by society and then to be a medical 
marijuana user on top of that is so frustrating having to fight for 
your rights. For me to have to fight for the right of my legal 
medicine for my ailment is complete and utter nonsense. So that's why 
I take this so passionately to fight for people's rights to do this 
stuff, and apparently I'm the one that has to take it on the chin and 
hopefully no one else here will face the kind of consequences that 
I'm facing today."

Price's next court appearance will be Sept. 3.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom