Pubdate: Thu, 01 Oct 2015
Source: Prince George Citizen (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Prince George Citizen
Contact:  http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/350
Author: Neil Godbout
Page: 6

MISPLACED OPPOSITION

Full marks to city councillors Jillian Merrick and Terri McConnachie 
for supporting the application by a local company to distribute 
medical marijuana to area patients with a prescription. Sadly, the 
rest of their council colleagues didn't have the courage to follow their lead.

The company sought a temporary use permit to store the legal, Health 
Canada-approved pain relief medication in a building on Nicholson 
Street. Instead of the storefront model that has cropped up across 
Vancouver, no customers would visit the site because orders would 
only be taken over the phone and online, with the product being 
delivered by courier.

In his presentation to council in opposition of the permit 
application, the Salvation Army's Capt. Neil Wilkinson clearly didn't 
recognize that distinction, since he pointed out that nearly half of 
the clientele of the Sally Ann's food bank and thrift store are under 
the age of 18. Yet he didn't go on to explain how the well-being of 
his young clients would be in any way affected by what amounts to a 
mail-order business next door.

The product being shipped by that business should not be a factor, so 
long as it is legal. Chances are Wilkinson would not have been 
opposed if the business were shipping most any other consumer or 
medical product.

Even if the business was seeking a licence to store and deliver 
pornography and sex toys or cigarettes and booze, Salvation Army 
clients would still have no way to directly access the product, which 
is legal and being made available to adults only.

Wilkinson's concern about security in the area is a more legitimate 
worry, particularly with the problems the Salvation Army has had in 
its new location. Still, every business owner takes extra precautions 
to protect both their employees from harm and their product from 
theft. If anything, the additional security presence of a medical 
marijuana distribution outlet in the neighbourhood may have actually 
benefited the Salvation Army, with extra eyes watching out for 
suspicious activity on the whole street.

Like Wilkinson, most of city council ignored the potential positives 
of this business and dwelled on the negative. Councillors fretted 
about setting a precedent by approving the permit, ignoring the 
"temporary use" part of the application and the fact that they and 
future councils have all the authority to reject a continuation of 
the permit when it needed to be renewed or any future requests.

Several councillors balked because the proposed location didn't match 
with a city bylaw passed in March calling for Health Canada grow 
operations to be located in the BCR, the Danson and Boundary Road 
industrial sites or in Agricultural Land Reserve properties more than 
15 hectares in size.

Yet the application clearly explained that the business would not be 
growing any marijuana whatsoever. The Nicholson Street location would 
be strictly a storage and delivery site only. No retail sales and no 
production. To reject the application by saying it contradicts the 
production bylaw is as silly as denying an auto dealership because 
that land isn't zoned for a vehicle factory.

As pointed out in yesterday's editorial, city council has finally 
gotten out of the liquor control business because it is not their 
responsibility and because the marketplace will decide on the 
viability of selling liquor during hockey and other events at the 
Coliseum and CN Centre. There is a provincial agency that issues 
liquor licences, monitors licence holders and enforces the 
regulations. There is a federal agency, Health Canada, in this case 
that oversees the production, sale and distribution of medical 
marijuana, and local patients will decide on the legitimacy of a 
business legally distributing medical marijuana.

"They (Health Canada) did not adequately provide oversight in the 
previous process," Coun. Murry Krause said in opposing the 
application. "So I don't trust them being able to manage it this time."

For starters, It is not municipal government's responsibility to do 
any part of Health Canada's job. Furthermore, by applying the same 
logic, the city should get rid of the RCMP and bring in a municipal 
police force every time the Mounties don't catch the bad guys or 
don't prevent serious crimes from happening in the first place. 
Government oversight is always a work in progress, whether it's the 
RCMP, Health Canada or municipal spending.

Merrick and McConnachie, both council rookies, realized this was 
simply a business decision and nothing but fear and faulty logic 
stood in the way of supporting the application. Unfortunately, the 
rest of their colleagues didn't apply the same common sense.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom