Pubdate: Wed, 23 Sep 2015
Source: Metro (Edmonton, CN AB)
Copyright: 2015 Metro Canada
Contact:  http://www.metronews.ca/Edmonton
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4475
Author: Braeden Jones
Page: 3

POT CASE HEATING UP

Dispensary wants to take case to the Supreme Court

To the courts, Aaron Bott is just a drug dealer. But to members of his
cannabis dispensary, he was a connection to medicine.

"We were helping people," Bott, who is currently facing trafficking
charges, said.

"Unfortunately, it seems like Alberta isn't willing to listen, and is
persecuting us as hard and fast as they can. They aren't even looking
at us helping people access their medicine or anything like that."

Bott is president of the Mobile Access Compassionate Resources
Organization Society (MACROS), Edmonton's only compassion club. For
the past 11 years, MACROS operated without issue until July, when
Alberta's Law Enforcement Response Team shut it down.

He's using the charge as the impetus to take his case to the Supreme
Court.

Bott and several members of his family were in court facing
trafficking and cultivation charges.

He explained that MACROS acted much like a pharmacy, offering advice
and grower information to its 1,000 plus members, all of whom had a
Health Canada medical-marijuana license or a prescription.

Before the court date, he told Metro he was willing to take the fight
to keep the dispensary open as far as he had to.

Now he's taking it further than that, if need be.

"We want to challenge it as a Constitutional challenge that
dispensaries are a valuable service for medical cannabis users," he
said. "It's time for the government to recognize us and find a place
for us."

His goal is to go as high as the Supreme Court if he has to. On that
front, he's got B.C. lawyer Kirk Tousaw, who has been involved in
several high profile medical-marijuana cases, to take him there.

"Our goal is to make sure dispensaries are recognized and we'll fight
as hard as we can to raise awareness."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt